Indomitable Hope
by aisasami1
Summary: After disappearing three months ago, Vincent Keller mysteriously shows up on the streets of New York City. But, he isn't himself as he is becoming more "animal-like" each day. Can Cat and Co. restore his humanity before it's too late? [Takes place right after Season 1's Finale]
1. Three Months Later

Author Note: During this past week, I been watching "Beauty and the Beast Season 1" as I await for internet at my new apartment. Rewatching these episodes, I noticed and/or felt that a key element of the story was pushed to the back towards the end of the season. I have seen bits and pieces of Season 2, and I feel like they didn't do a really good job, in my opinion, in things like Vincent gradually losing his humanity and becoming less human. I know the show addressed those in Season 2 but I didn't feel like it was satisfactory. The first part of Season 1 did a great job with the addition of the blackouts and the night vision but they haven't used those characteristics since like Episode 11 or 12.

So, I am writing this fanfiction to further on the facts I mention above. What would happened if Vincent couldn't transformed back and stayed in his beast mode forever? How could he come back to senses (well, we already know the answer to this), and so on. This story continues a few months after the season finale. There might be some elements from Season 2, maybe accidentally or on purpose, but I want to try to stick to Season 1 universe.

This is my first fanfic ever. I always read fanfics from this site but never wrote one! I am a bit nervous! Please let me know what you think in the comment section! All comments are really appreciated, even the ones about how much this story sucks.

Thank you!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Three months.

It has been three months since they took him. Catherine Chandler sighed as she stared at her computer, trying to look for any clues about the disappearance of Vincent Keller. _Vincent,_ she mentally asked, _where are you?_ Being a cop herself, Catherine, or Cat for short, was able to dig a little deeper than usual, trying to find any information on government and crime reports, data, websites, and such. But, no such luck.

She sighed once more as she closed her laptop. Cat stayed up all night again, trying to look for any new details. "Maybe some coffee, a shower, and a nap will help for now," Catherine said as she stood up and stretched. She headed towards the kitchen when she heard a light knocking at the front door.

"Cat, it's me Tess. I know you been pulling an all-nighter again. I brought some relief aid," her partner and best friend exclaimed as she gently opened the door and came in. In her hands, Tess had two cups of Cat's favorite coffee with some pastries. _Good ol' Tess, always there for anything_, Catherine mused. And, she was right; Tess has been there for Cat through thick and thin. When Tess discovered her secret relationship with the supposed "vigilante-turned-serial-killer" Vincent, Cat could not be anymore relieved to have her best friend as her support system when it comes to dating a half-human/half-animal guy. Futhermore, Cat has leaned on Tess' support even more in the past months; letting Tess know the stress, fear, angst, sadness, and other emotions that Cat felt when looking for her loved one.

"Mmmm, is that the smell of a freshly made french vanilla cappuccino from that cafe of a couple blocks away," Cat exhaled happily as she led Tess to the sofa where they could sit down and enjoy their goodies. Tess smirked as she handed one of the hot drinks to Cat, "How did you know that information? Are you transforming into a beast too without telling me?" Cat shook her head sadly, that comment alone reminded her so much of Vincent. Tess noticed and apologized, "I am so sorry, girl. I didn't mean to go out that way. I bet he is out there somewhere, right?" How is the search going? Any new leads from New York's finest?"

Catherine lightly took a few sips of her drink and placed it on the coffee table in front of her. She then turned her head and look out of window, she breathed softly, "Nope, nothing new has appeared. It's like Vincent has never existed. His miliary records, birth certificate, any proof of existence... It all has been erased by Muirfield. They don't want anyone to know about him and I wonder why..." Catherine stared out the window a little and pondered at what she said. What was Muirfield trying to do by erasing Vincent's personal information? Did that mean they successful completed their mission? Did they really kill Vincent and now covering their tracks? But, Vincent wasn't the only "beast"-like human out there that suffered at the hands of Muirfield? There has to be others to save from this monstrous organization, right?

As she continued to wonder the "what if"s, a few tears spilled out. She silently wiped them as she covered her eyes in guilt. She should have been the one to save Vincent from them. That was the mission she signed up for when she wanted to be with Vincent. Suddenly, Catherine felt a light touch on her left hand that pulled her from those thoughts. She glanced down at that hand and saw that Tess' hand was on hers. Cat looked up at Tess as Tess began to assure, "I want to make myself clear; do not blame yourself. I can see that in your pretty head of yours that you are blaming yourself for what is happening. And, that's not true. Cat, we will find him somehow, someday. He is alive! Just put your energy into good things, not bad thoughts. Besides, J.T. and I have your back whenever you need it!" Cat smiled as she blinked back any tears that remained.

"Tess, thank you for being for me. What could I do without you?" Cat giggled while giving Tess a small hug, "But, I might have been replaced as your Number 1 during these months. "J.T and I"? What does this mean? Tess, does this mean..." Tess playfully smacked Cat's right upper arm and grinned mischievously, "It doesn't mean anything, I tell you! While you were on your "independent woman is me" search party, J.T and I have formed our own search party. By doing so, we have been a bit closer to the point he has asked me to dinner tonight," Tess informed her. "Really, I smell a d-a-t-e!" Catherine teased while continuing to drink her french vanilla cappuccino. The two ladies continued with their playful banter while enjoying their treats throughout the morning, forgetting momentarily about the search.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in New York, two men dressed in black suits met in a poorly lit room with gray walls, a table, and a couple chairs. They sat at the wooden table with a bunch of papers spread out on the a table. One of the guys, a tall, lean Caucasian male in his mid-to-late 50s with blue eyes and salt and pepper hair, looked over the papers angrily, "What do you mean you loss track of him? It was your responsiblity to keep all tabs on him! Do you know what you might of have done?". The other person, much younger than the other guy with tired hazel eyes, short and spiky blonde hair, and really stoic facial features, snarled back at the other person, "Look, we did the best that we could. Agent Landon is currently trying to find your cross-species test subject. Hopefully, we can hear from her soon."

The other man breathed deeply, "Hopefully soon, Agent Rodgers, hopefully soon. You do not know the full extent of this "cross-species" monster that we have our hands. Ever since we kidnapped him three months ago, our scientists have experimented and tested him about the things he can do and might be able to do. Do you know what that means?" Agent Rodgers shook his head silently as the other man continued, "It means that we have heightened his abilities. We have "upgraded" him as he can have deeper senses, faster agility, and other improved or even new abilities. But the drawback to this new and improved super-solider is that we stripped his memory, his morals, and even his humanity. He is slowly losing his ability to sense what is wrong and what is right. He is forgetting what it means to be human! He is becoming more like an animal everyday." At the end of that sentence, the older guy slammed his fists into the wooden table as he stood up, encircling the table as he kept eye contact with the younger agent.

"He is becoming more dangerous each and every day. He is a high risk as he could injury or even kill innocent civilians. The blood would not only be on his hands, it would be on the agency's too. Do you want that? Do you want to be responsible for this high-motivated killing machine, do you?", the older male agent questioned angrily. The younger agent shook his hand again with his eyes lowered. "Good. This is why it is essential to find this beast and bring him back to our labs, where he can be of no threat to the city," the older agent reassured while looking the wall. "Especially for my daughter's sake..." he murmured as they both heard a knock at the door.

Another male agent opened the door and came into the room with a cellphone in his hand. "Sir, Agent Landon is on the phone and wants to talk to you now. It's very urgent!" the agent informed the older one as he handed off the phone to him. "Hello, Agent Landon? This is Agent Reynolds. What is the matter?" The older agent spoke softly as he walked towards a corner. Agent Landon started to speak urgently, "Agent Reynolds, we have a much bigger problem on our hands...". This cause Agent Reynold's eyes tense up angrily.

* * *

"Yeah, J.T., she is ok even though she been through a lot," Tess quietly spoke on her cell phone in her best friend's living room, "She is currently resting. However, she didn't find any new leads. I am going to check on her one more time and then head over to my place." Tess walked carefully towards her best friend's room, peering in to see how she was doing. Satisfied to see Catherine sleeping soundly for a few minutes, Tess whispered back to her phone, "Yeah, she is alright. No bad dreams here. I meet you a few. No, I am not going to pickup lunch. Remember, that your duty! Alright, alright, stop begging like a helpless dog. I will pick up a sub from the deli across the street from my apartment. You owe me big time mister. See you in a few." Tess smiled as she hung up and look at her best friend one more time. "Don't worry, Cat. We will find him," Tess whispered as she closed the bedroom door and headed towards the front.

After making sure everything was safe, Tess locked the apartment's front door and walked out of the complex. On the way to the deli, Tess mildly thought about the situation while watching out for any potential danger. It was danger that dragged her into this situation the first time when she followed Vincent throughout the sewer tunnels, accidentally shooting him there. Although she did it out of her sixth sense of danger and fear, she regretted it some time later when she realized that Vincent was no monster that the NYPD described, thanks to Catherine. She couldn't believe that her best friend was in love with something absurd and dangerous at the same time. But over time, she gradually understood the unique love between Vincent and Catherine and supported it one hundred percent.

When Vincent was kidnapped by those Muirfield agents, Tess was the first person to reach out and support Cat during her emotional wreck search. At the same time, she gradually became closer to Vincent's closest buddy, J.T., who Tess also supported as he decided to search for Vincent as well. During these times, Tess let J.T. stay at her apartment as they shared meals together and talked about life for hours.

_I first thought that J.T. was this fumbling nerd that was a pain in the ass_, Tess thought as she reached the deli, _but who of have thought that he was much more than that_. She quickly bought two footlongs and walked dainty towards her apartment. Once she got there, she opened the door to see that J.T. was enjoying an afternoon hockey match between the New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings. "Hey buster! Aren't you suppose to be doing some "important" research about that best friend of yours who is in love with my best friend," Tess joked, startling J.T. a bit as he turned his head to face her. "Hey, can't a man enjoy a break once in a while? Oooh, is that pastrami and cheese?" J.T gingerly spoke as he tried to grab a footlong from Tess' hands. Tess realized quickly what he was doing and raised the sandwiches over her head. Being tall had advantages sometimes. Tess smiled a bit as she drew her check close to him, teasing, "You owe me, remember? You can have your sandwich if..." Before she could finish, J.T. gently kissed her on the mouth and reached to grab his sandwich. He smirked as he went back to the sofa to resume watching the hockey match.

Snapping out from a light daze, Tess remembered Catherine's discovery earlier. "Do you know that Catherine has figured us out already? I wonder who dropped the hints to her? You?" Tess spoke up and she sat next to J.T. on the couch. J.T. shrugged as he kept his eye on the TV. "Should we keep this newly made relationship a secret or should we let New York, better yet, the whole world know about our highly classified relationship?" Tess bantered some more as she began to eat her footlong. J.T sighed lightly, "I don't know. I am not on any government radars at the moment. Are you?" Tess shook her head. "Then, we can announce our relationship then," J.T. continued.

Tess smiled as she bit into her sandwich. Leave it to J.T. to suck the humor out any situation, she playfully thought as she joined in watching the game.

All of the sudden, a special news report flashed on the TV. "Good afternoon, New York. We have a breaking report here at the news office. Last night around 2 am, a homeless man in Brooklyn was murdered by an unidentified person or thing. There are not much details at this moment. But, we do know that there were brutal claw marks all over the victim's body, suggesting that the victim might have been mauled by some animal. New York Police warns all citizens to be vigilant as there might be a wild animal out there. We will have more information as the details come in. Meanwhile, back to the game."

J.T. quickly turned off the TV as both him and Tess look at each other, mortified.

"Vincent..."


	2. Leading on a New Chase

Chapter 2

Author's Notes:

Thanks for sticking with me on this story. I really appreciate it. And, I am really sorry for the bumps in Chapter 1. To tell you the truth, I do not have a beta reader at the moment, leaving me to try and edit the hell out of each chapter (aka sit at Starbucks, typing with lots of anguish while drinking chai tea). I am also consitantly going back and re-editing previous chapters that were edited many times.

Buuuut, If you would love to be a beta for this story, I would loooooooooooooove it! Just PM me!

I want to shout out to **DenisefromNY** and **marylovesbatb** for reviewing the first chapter. To answer your review marylovesbatb, is it it ok if I put one love triangle in this story? You will understand a little by the end of the chapter (and hopefully much more as the story progresses). I don't like love triangles either as they drag some of the story arcs toooooo much. But, bear with me!

Thanks again.

* * *

**_Previously on Indomitable Hope_**

_A special news report flashed on the TV. "Good afternoon, New York. We have a breaking report here at the news office. Last night around 2 am, a homeless man in Brooklyn was murdered by an unidentified person or thing. There are not much details at this moment. But, we do know that there were brutal claw marks all over the victim's body, suggesting that the victim might have been mauled by some animal. New York Police warns all citizens to be vigilant as there might be a wild animal out there. We will have more information as the details come in. Meanwhile, back to the game."_

_J.T. quickly turned off the TV as both him and Tess look at each other, mortified._

_"Vincent..."_

* * *

"...I'm sure of it!" J.T. exclaimed as he stood up from the couch and headed towards the kitchen area. Tess' eyes grew bigger as she focused her attention at him, asking, "Are you for certain that it's him?" J.T paced furiously around Tess' kitchen, trying to process the facts about the murder mentioned on the news bulletin. ""Are you for certain that it's him?"", J.T mimicked irately, "What part of "sure" that you don't get? I get it perfectly; the part where the claw marks are labelled "brutal" by the news. That is how I am so sure." J.T stopped pacing and leaned against the counter top, covering his eyes as he felt emotionally overwhelmed.

He knew that it was his best friend. It couldn't have been the other beast he knew, ADA Gabriel Logan. J.T. had a feeling that Gabe still knew how to control his animal side even though he was unsuccessful in getting the ultimate cure for it: Vincent's heart. All throughout his life, Gabe was able to control himself by using a synthesized version of an antidote that was originally made by Catherine's mom, Dr. Catherine Chadler, that had great success. J.T. knew that Gabe wasn't the type of person to just forgot to take his meds. Or at least, the type of beast to randomly beast out for no reason. Gabe had to be responsible, he was one of the many faces of NYPD judicial system, a reputation he couldn't tarnish by a random killing. _No_, J.T. thought, _it wasn't Gabe for sure. Unless..._

"I thought they wanted to kill him," Tess questioned as she sat down on a bar stool, expressing a worried look. That was the original reason why J.T. and Vincent were in hiding, to protect Vincent from Muirfield who wanted to eliminate him. During his deployment days in Afghanistan, Vincent witnessed one of his best friends in the unit and another beast like him murdered by one of the generals, who Vincent suspected was an agent for Muirfield, being involved with the troop in order to keep track of these experiments. After seeing this horrendous incident, Vincent decided to run, run far away from the terror that his new life caused. And, he did. Vincent was able to escape unscathed and unseen during an ambush on a Taliban cartel hiding out in the mountains, never looking back once at the life he once led. He also was able to plant evidence that made everyone, including his beloved family, that he died in the war. The deception was a success according to J.T who Vincent communicated to on a stolen satellite phone during his exodus back to the States.

_It was a risky gamble_, J.T. thought as he listened to Tess grill him about his hunches, _but it worked out well_. However, if they captured him three months ago, that meant he should be dead. If that's not the case, then what do they want to do it. Do they want...

"NO! They wanted him so they could continue testing." J.T. blurted out abruptly, catching Tess off guard. "We didn't think about the other possibilities. What if Muirfield didn't want to kill him. Instead, they wanted him to do further tests on him. Remember, Vincent was a beta type for superhuman soldiers for the military. The whole science experiment was labelled as a complete failure, according to military records, as Muirfield "eradicated" all those who were involved over the years. But also, during those years, Muirfield probably regrouped, reexamine, and retested their failed project in order to see if they could be successful. Muirfield used random people in these new experiments but they weren't as great as Vincent. So now that they got him, they can use him for tests. It looks like it was successful, if one of these experiments is to see how his new superhuman abilities affect normal humans," J.T. explained as he mentally ran through any other possibilities.

"That's absurd if Muirfield is transforming Vincent into a super-killing machine and unleashing him freely in the city. He could hurt anyone, everyone! This is going to be colossal gossip tomorrow at work. Just wait, there will be **yet** another task force on Vincent. Is this what Muirfield or even us want?" Tess sighed, standing up to get a wine glass and poured some of her favorite red wine. She sat back down and lightly slipped her glass while staring at J.T., pondering what would he say next. She didn't want to face the problem at work, especially with Catherine around. Oh no! Catherine! She couldn't get Cat involved. It was breaking Tess' heart, thinking about how Catherine would take it if this new serial killer was actually Vincent. She couldn't bear it.

"That or he accidentally escaped. Maybe Vincent isn't completely animal just yet, maybe there is some part of humanity left in him to make him come to his senses and escape from that hellhole," J.T countered Tess' thoughts as he sipped the warm beer that he was enjoying during the hockey match, "In any case, we CANNOT, by any means, have Catherine know about these attacks. You have to keep her mind occupied on some other cases while this one plays out. We can't have her getting involved, she might get hurt or even get killed by this new and improved Vincent." Tess smiled at him as she scooted closer to him, "That is what I was thinking, buster. See, we work really well together. _Too well_." Tess gingerly kissed J.T., hoping a happy ever after could come to everyone involved.

* * *

_Ahhhh, Monday mornings, why do they ever exist_, Catherine thought after she awoke from her bothersome mobile phone alarm. She squinted her eyes to see the time on her phone, _I must of slept most of the day yesterday and all night. I needed the sleep anyways, I been working non-stop, trying to find Vincent that I forgot I have to sleep sometimes._ She yawned as she stretched and got up from her bed to head to the bathroom. After taking a long shower to awake her senses from their deep slumber, Catherine got ready for work by wearing a pair of black slacks, a simple white blouse, and minimal jewelry and makeup. Although she thought her appearance was very plain, she wondered what would Vincent think about it? What would he say when he looked at her? Would he say something on the lines of how beautiful she looked to him even her opinions were different?

Cat sighed at the thoughts as she stopped at her sister's bedroom. She peeked in quietly and saw that Heather was sleeping peacefully in her bed. Catherine smiled, questioning if she is abandoning her sister again by being preoccupied with the search. Heather usually showed how she felt and thought to Catherine, especially when she felt her bigger sister was hiding something or abandoning her. She almost was successful in moving out of Cat's apartment once before. It was during a time when Heather questioned if Catherine really cared for her during a time when Cat's attention was focused more on Vincent's predicament. Cat vowed at that moment that she should care for her more as they only had each other now, someone who was too precious to lose.

_Maybe I will talk about it with her tonight_, Catherine pondered as she locked her apartment door and started her journey to work. So much has happened with her family this year, from the happiness of her so called dad's wedding to the pain of losing him in a freak accident on a busy intersection in Time Squares. She felt it was her fault that he got murdered as he wanted to tell her something, risking everything for her and her curiosity. He always risked so much for her. Even now that she found out through a blood test that she wasn't even his daughter! How could that happened? How could the man she always grew up with, was supported by, and loved by was genetically not her father? What kind of life did her mom lead to cause so many mysterious holes in her life? Because of her mom, Cat recently felt that she was so helpless in helping to save her father because her blood was worthless to him. Was she also worthless to her mom?

She arrived to her workplace a little while after, briefly stopping at the Starbucks next to her office's building to get a Chai Latte and some pastries. Cat filed into one of the elevators with other employees, completely absorbed in her morning thoughts that she didn't notice her partner standing next to her. "Good Morning, Cat. You look really refreshed. It looks like you got a ton of beauty sleep yesterday," Tess greeted her, "It looks like you don't need a Monday morning pickup as I can see that you went to Starbucks already. I wonder who can I share double shot lattes and doughtnuts with? Maybe Frank wants some..." Catherine smirked, _Ewww, anyone but Frank_, Cat thought with a bit of annoyance, _that bumbling newbie turned nerdy stalker who transferred from Precinct 54 and tried to flirt with me so many times._ Cat wished he took the subtle hint that Tess and her were trying to give him and give up. "It's your choice, Manslayer," Cat joked, calling Tess by her least favorite nickname that was given by that Justin Bieber wannabe pop star she had protected last year, while taking a sip of her chai latte, "But, don't come crying when he is running after you." Tess rolled her eyes as they reached their department's floor.

Tess, Cat, and some other colleagues walked out from the elevator and towards their personal desks. Something looked strange today as there was an unusual amount of people sitting around the office. "Hey, Lisa, what is going on?" Tess questioned the young woman who sat in the island of desks near Cat's and Tess' desks. "It looks like they are going to name a new commanding officer for this department. I heard Joe got sacked and that ADA Gabe Lowen is aiming to replace him," Lisa bellowed in gossip-like excitement. _Joe got sacked?_ Tess surmised silently as she felt a small amount of pity for her ex-lover. Joe and her barely spoke each other after the events of his younger brother's obscure murder. They bother grew apart from each other as Joe started to lean more on his wife, the woman who he claimed that was never there for him. _How ironic!_, she mentally laughed. What made it more odd was that the maniac manhunt for the so-called serial killer made Joe more obsessed with his work and less willing to work with others, after locking himself in his office for hours.

She shrugged off any other thoughts of Joe as she took her seat. Joe was her past and was long gone. She needed to focus on the future, especially the one with J.T. She blushed at the thoughts of a possible future with J.T. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice that Cat was looking at her, grinning. "It looks like someone didn't wake up from their weekend fantasies? Did you enjoy your dinner with Mr. Romeo last night?" Cat playfully laughed as she briskly looked through the documents on her desk. Tess snapped out her daydream, "Huh, what? Oh that dinner? We decided to get a raincheck for a different time. We had something come up unexpectedly last night." Cat just continued to laugh at Tess as the buzzing office began to quiet down.

"May I have your attention for a couple minutes," a charismatic voice from the center of the office bellowed. Tess and Cat looked up at the same time to see who was its owner. They noticed that the one who was trying to get everyone's attention was a male with slick, curly black hair, dark olive-colored skin, and impeccable choice of style. It was none other as the other beast in this twisted tale, ADA Gabe Lowen. "As many as you all know through the grapevine, Joe Bishop has been relieved of his duties as commanding officer at this precinct," Gabe announced as a collective gasp of surprise was heard throughout the room, "Despite the rumors that are going around, I will not be the new commanding officer. Instead, I have asked Brian McIntyre, one the supervising commanders at Precinct 86 to lead this one. Officer McIntyre, do you have any welcoming comments for your commanding precinct?"

A slender and somewhat tall man with a long face and salt and pepper hair stood up from the side and came up next to Gabe. "Good morning. As Gabe mentioned, I am your new commanding officer here. I have heard of the strong legacy of this precinct with its powerful teamwork and amazing ability to solve tough cases when I was working at Precinct 86. Hopefully, we can continue this mighty reputation," He welcomed with a warm smile, focusing his attention on Cat and Tess. _Vergas and Chandler_, he mused silently, _I have heard of them before and their capability in solving certain i__nexplicable__ cases. Surely, they can leave me to him easily._

"Thank you for your kind words, Commanding Officer McIntyre. Before I let you all commence on your duties, I would like to see Tess Vergas, Lisa Reyes, Luke Conrad, and Frank Downer in my office on the fourth floor right now," Gabe smiled as he concluded the Monday morning office huddle. Tess gave Catherine a puzzled looked and whispered, "I wonder what he wants from Luke, Lisa, Frank, and I?" Catherine shrugged at her comment, clueless too. "I don't know either," Catherine commented, "But you better get your butt over there pronto so you can find out." Tess grabbed her warm drink and headed towards the direction of Gabe.

"Thank you for coming to my office," Gabe greeted the four detectives with a big grin, "Please sit down. I have chosen you four to work on a special top secret case. If you watched the news yesterday, there was a report of a homeless man who was mauled by some sort of an animal with deep claw marks on his chest. Now, this attack happened near Precinct 24 and they should be handling this case by themselves. But, since this precinct has handled cases of the beast-like serial killer that roamed around New York last spring, Precinct 24 has asked for your guys' help. Your new commanding officer and I have mutually agree to take on the case as we know that you guys are capable of successfully solving the case. However, as I mentioned before, this a top secret case as no one can know any details of this case. McIntyre and I want to keep a hush on this case because we don't want it to get out of hand like the serial killer one. Do you have any questions or concerns on this case?" Tess and the other silently shook their heads. Gab flashed a smile as he continued, "Good. I have designated a office space on the third floor as space to investigate, You all will been given a key card as the room is only for those with authorized access. If you break any rules during the investigation, you will be removed from the case and suspended without pay from your duties until further notice." _That is a major punishment_, Tess mused as Gabe continued to list the details of the investigation, _I wonder why he is making it into highly classified case?_

"If no one has any questions, I will give you a key card and let you go on your way. I want a daily briefing of the matter before you all go home. I will pop my head later to check how everything is going. With your teamwork and abilities, we can nab this new serial killer quickly before more harm falls upon innocent people," Gabe concluded as he started to hand out the key cards. When he reached Tess, he held onto the key card a little longer and whispered, "Vergas, I need you stay here for a bit longer." "Oooookaaayyyy," she conceded. He flashed his brilliant smile once again as he turned to the others, "You guys are dismissed. I will see you later!" Lisa, Frank, and Luke all filed out of the office quickly as Gabe closed the door behind him.

"Detective Vergas, I picked you for this case for a particular reason; your connection to Catherine Chandler and her beast boyfriend," Gabe began to speak as he took a seat at his desk. "What? How did you know that?" Tess instantly questioned him. Gabe put his hand up to motion for Tess to stop talking as he continued, "Please let me finish before you start questioning on what I know. I suspected that you would do you own investigation on the matter because you really care about Catherine and would do anything for her to keep her safe and happy.

You are wondering how I know that you and Catherine are related to the beast incidents. I am the partially reason why Vincent kidnapped by Muirfield three months ago. I kidnapped Catherine so I could lured Vincent to my place so I could get his heart, the cure to my other wrenched half. Like Vincent, I am too a beast, created long before Vincent when I was a mere child. To subdue the beast side, I had to take a synthesized version of a drug that Catherine's mom created for me every day. But, since last March, the synthesized drugs unexpectedly stopped taking effect and I began to change into a beast occasionally. When my now-dead girlfriend, who was also a secret operative of Muirfield, caught wind from your precinct's now deceased medical examiner Evan Marks of a possible beast, she told me and I volunteer to co-lead the manhunt for the beast with Joe Bishop. You might think that the manhunt was based primarily on Joe's vengeful revenge of his brother. But, it was also partially based on my own mission to bring the beast into my hands so I could get his heart. I didn't mean things to get really out of hand as I just wanted to get rid of being an beast, the painfully reminder of why I couldn't live a regular normal life even if I tried hard.

But, I am not here to ask for your or even Catherine's forgiveness for the incident. Thanks to Catherine's kindness, compassion, and showing me that I wasn't the troubled monster I made myself led to believe. I feel remorseful for what happened to Vincent. So, I created this secret task force in order to make it up to Catherine and catch Vincent secretly, unlike the last time. No press, no mad motives this time, I swear! I just hope that with you, I could get more detailed on the whereabouts of Vincent so we can bring himself safely from Muirfield."

Tess slouched in her chair, resting her head on the palm of her right head as she tried to process the shocking revelation that Gabe was a beast who was partially behind the chaos of last spring. _This is too much to handle right now_, Tess groaned as she closed her eyes to think it through. Did J.T. and Cat knew that Gabe was a beast like Vincent? How come they didn't let her onto this little detail? Why couldn't they trust her a little bit more? She was part of their inner circle of trust, wasn't she? She had too many questions that were dying to be answered. But, she had to wait until later. She couldn't let Gabe know what she was thinking right now as he was one of many responsible for Cat's pain right now.

Tess detangled her thoughts a little bit longer. She opened her eyes a few minutes later and looked at Gabe with emotionally tired eyes. "Look, this is a lot of information to be process all at once. I might have questions, but right now, we need to work together to bring Vincent back from Muirfield's hands. Despite what happened over last spring, I will agree to work with you and your task force in order to bring Vincent back, for Cat's sake. But, if you turn your back on us, your promises, and your pure intentions, I will never forgive you for what happened between Cat and Vincent." Gabe smiled, "Agreed." He extended his hand out towards her, hoping that she could shake on the deal. Tess took his hand and shook it reluctantly.

When they finished shaking hands, a woman officer with brown hair that was pulled back in a bun suddenly came into the room. "I am sorry to interrupt, sir. But there was report over the radio this morning from Precinct 44 that there was another beast attack on the border of Riverside Park. They request that the special task force come as soon as possible to the crime scene," she informed Gabe. Gabe expressed a worried look on his face while he instinctively took his coat from it's hook and commanded, "Vergas, gather Reyes, Downer, and Conrad and meet me at the location right away. I will text you the location once I call Precinct 44 for more details. Officer Hogan, I want you to keep me updated on any details about these unique cases, you got it?" Vargas and the petite, mid-30s officer nodded. "Good. See you soon, Vargas," the slicked hair ADA sighed as he started to dial the number to Precinct 44.

_What did they do to you, Vincent?_


	3. Mysterious Individual

Author Note's: Thanks again! Here is Chapter Three that will introduce a main character that everyone is waiting for.

Please enjoy! (I feel like this was one of the hardest chapters to write because I had envision one way to introduce this guy. However, it turned out like this.) I also been experimenting, trying to make shorter paragraphs than longer ones. I wonder if this style is better not...

I am sorry if this two month late! I have been really busy at work (I work six days a week), appointments are eating up my free time, and I am only allowed one day to do the things I love which is right now writing on my music blog. Hopefully, since summer vacation is coming up soon, I can devote more time to this series.

Enjoy!

* * *

Tess couldn't believe it; another beast attack! Maybe it wasn't true, maybe Officer Hogan jumped to conclusion too soon. She only heard of the crime's facts over the phone from someone else's accounts of the crime scene. How could they be sure it was a beast attack if they didn't see physical evidence yet?

Her mind keep on racing while she hurried to her to desk to get her police cruiser's keys, pen and paper, her phone, and maybe a couple of Advils to relieve this mounting headache. She shouted out to her new partners in a hasten tone, "Reyes, Downer, and Conrad! We need to go! Gather your things and meet me downstairs in the lobby in 5 minutes!". Completely absorbed with the process of getting ready, Tess had no time to talk or even look at her desk mate as she spoke up.

"Tess, what is wrong?" Cat said with a puzzled look and her voice full of concern. "Look, Cat. I have to go right now. I will explain later," Tess said mindlessly as she headed towards the elevator. I keep my word with that good-for-nothing ADA that I would not tell anyone, Tess thought, even to my best friend, the one person is who is affected greatly. She scurried inside the evalator right after it pinged to signal that it was going to open it's doors. She couldn't look at Catherine at this moment. It was the best thing to do.

* * *

Deep pain.

A feeling that woke him up from his slumber. He groggily opened eyes, trying to come back to his sense.

_Where am I? _the mysterious man mentally asked as he surveyed his surroundings, _What am I doing sleeping in a park during broad daylight?_

He examined every part of his body, seeing if there was any injuries. This mysterious man had amazing physiques; he had a buzz-cut hair style, chocolate eyes and hair, a very lean body with well-toned areas, and looked he had a height of 5 foot 9 inches, a perfect size. His eyes wander first over the tattoos on his left upper arm he had acquired somehow and then down to his hand.

He noticed something red and like a liquid all over his fingers. _Wait!_, he wondered as he drew his hand near his nose, _What is this? It can't be._ He smelled it to see if his fears were wrong. Somehow, he recognized the coppery smell as his eyes widened.

_Blood! It's blood!_ he gasped, H_ow in the hell did I acquired blood on my hands?_ He sat up and examined his hands thoroughly.

_What happened? Whose blood is it? When did it happened?_

All these questions encircled his mind as he tried to comprehend the situation. Recently, he seemed more and more confused as the mysterious man experienced blackouts over an unknown period of time. He couldn't recall what he was doing or where he was during this time. He also felt that he couldn't control his actions or thoughts during these blackouts.

It all started when he escaped the only place he knew, an underground laboratory. He didn't know life before living there, a place that was so dark and hazardous that nobody could really called it a "home sweet home". There, He stayed in a chained cage, only permitted to leave if the scientist had do their experiments on him. Most of the time, he wouldn't be conscious for these "projects", as the scientist there called it, as he was either under the influence of anesthesia or that he would experience mysterious blackout.

Whenever he had these blackouts, he felt like their was another thing living inside of him, trying to take over. He determined that it couldn't be a person as this "thing" didn't seem to feel like it was a human. Actually, it felt more like a monster lacked human emotions. This thing also had a need for something. The mysterious man couldn't pinpoint what exactly was this need. He tried to ask the examiners in that wretched place. But he would never get the exact answers.

Maybe that's what this thing wants, the mysterious man pondered as he stood up to find a public sink to wash his hands, Maybe he wants to know who he is and that is everything all right. Maybe it needs human contact. During his time in that dungeon, he never really received a true confirmation that everything was ok. Most of the staff's smiles were fake ones, complimenting on their successful experiments.

_"You did a great job in there today", one of the female scientist of African descent beamed while he was lead back to a cage, "Today's testing was a success. Thanks to your participation, you are helping to make a better tomorrow."_

Helping to make a better tomorrow? What does that **exactly** mean? How in hell is the other part, this monster inside of him, was making the world a better place?

He found a public bathroom a few minutes later and washed his hands, careful to not leave any evidence of blood. After he was satisfied with the cleanliness of his hands, he turned off the water and wiped his hands on his jeans. Just as he was finish drying his hands, he sensed that he wasn't alone in the park.

"Hey Gabe, we came as soon as we could," a voice, that the mysterious man perceived it be a female voice, pierced through the park's tranquility. He turned his head slightly around to see where that voice came from. But it wasn't just one person he saw! What he saw was a group of police officers near the benches, a couple of feet away from the bathrooms. Panicking, the guy hid in one the stalls, ignoring the putrid smell coming from the toilets. He crept behind the walls near the entrance, trying to spy on the cops' activities.

"Hey Gabe, we came as soon as we could," Tess shouted as she came up to the crime scene with Detectives Reyes, Downer, and Conrad. There, Gabe was standing by the yellow tape that decorated the crime scene, holding a conversation on his iPhone.

"I don't care about the other cases, this one takes precedence," Gabe argued impatiently over the phone, "Tell Medical Examiner Banks that he has thirty minutes to get ready to examine this body. And, he has until five o'clock this evening to hand in the final report. That is not a request, it's an order." Gabe hung up the phone, shoving it into one of his coat packets. He turned and gave a tired smirk at the four detectives who were waiting for his lead.

"I am glad to see that some parts of the NYPD still have a sense of promptness when they receive an order," Gabe complained as he gestured them to follow as they approached the restricted area. They stopped in front a body, which was covered with a white cloth. Gabe gazed at the scene for a second and then turned his attention to the group as he spoke, "I am sorry that your commanding officer is not here to do his job. However, we arrived straight away after we heard reports of a "beast"-like attack. I am hoping that you can relay your findings to Commanding Officer McKnight later.

"I am now going to show the body to the latest victim. I want you to use your knowledge of the beast attacks of last spring and try to find any connections or differences. Hopefully, the medical examiner will examine this quickly. Are you ready?" The others nodded as Gabe knelt down next the body, pulling the white cloth slowly.

The sheet revealed a disfigured body that resembled somewhat of a young, petite female. But it was hard to tell as the flesh was severely manage. There were reminds of what seemed to be a sports bra and jogging pants. But, it was hard to tell exactly as the clothing was either covered in lots of blood or torn apart beyond recognizing.

_A young woman jogging in the park during her morning routines,_ Tess jotted her thoughts in a white mini-notepad, _However it is too soon to jump to conclusions as the body is badly managed and hard to identified. It looks like whatever attacked her was an animal or a thing that caused several damage throughout the victim's body. Won't be surprised if the thing hit an organ, killing her instantly or letting her bleed out. Don't know what is the motive just yet..._

Tess continued to jot down more notes about the surroundings in her notebook. As soon as she finished up the last thought, she sensed another person watching her somewhere nearby. She froze, using her police senses to see what would be that person or thing's next moves. However, that feeling suddenly disappeared as it felt like that thing had instantly stop watching her. M_aybe it was nothing_, Tess thought as she walked towards the park's public restroom area, _I am probably imagining things._

However, she let her guard too soon as she begin to hear rustling from the nearby shrubs. The noise got louder and louder as she proceeded to her destination. Tess placed her hands on her gun, ready to use if she needed the protection.

All the sudden, the good-looking mysterious man suddenly popped out from the bushes, trying to run away. He didn't see where he was going when he collided with Tess hard, causing both of them to fall down on the pavement with a small thump. None of the officers nearby took noticed of the incident as both parties didn't cause any ruckus that could peeled anyone from the current investigation going on.

Tess massaged her forehead as she stood up slowly. She squinted her eyes a bit as she tried to look at the guy who ran into her. "Are you ok?" Tess asked, "Do you need to go to a hospital or something?" She offered her hand to the dark-haired, good-looking man who was coming to his senses as well.

"Naaah, I am ok," the man reassured while standing up, refusing any help from Tess. He turned his eyes towards her to see if she was doing ok too. That was when he heard a gasp escape from the tall, brown-haired woman.

"Vincent...?"

_"Who...?" _


	4. Who Are You?

**Author's Note: **Hey guys, thanks for sticking with this story even though I took a long time to update it. My sincerest apologies! I got super busy over the past months with my blog and work that I didn't set time for this story.

I took up the NaNoWriMo challenge for an entire month in order to stay commit and finish this story. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to end the story yet. However, I did write a lot of new stuff which will come to you, my dear readers, each week if I have a chance.

Enjoy this chapter!

Thank you so much!

* * *

**CHAPTER 4**

_All the sudden, the good-looking mysterious man suddenly popped out from the bushes, trying to run away. He didn't see where he was going when he collided with Tess hard, causing both of them to fall down on the pavement with a small thump. None of the officers nearby took noticed of the incident as both parties didn't cause any ruckus that could peeled anyone from the current investigation going on._

_Tess massaged her forehead as she stood up slowly. She squinted her eyes a bit as she tried to look at the guy who ran into her. "Are you ok?" Tess asked, "Do you need to go to a hospital or something?" She offered her hand to the dark-haired, good-looking man who was coming to his senses as well._

_"Naaah, I am ok," the man reassured while standing up, refusing any help from Tess. He turned his eyes towards her to see if she was doing ok too. That was when he heard a gasp escape from the tall, brown-haired woman._

_"Vincent...?"_

_"Who...?"_

* * *

"Aren't you Vincent Keller?" Tess questioned the handsome man who was standing in front of her with a puzzled look. She was one-hundred percent positive that it was him. It was Cat's Vincent! Sure, there was a slight difference to the man's appearance compared to the last time she saw the former Army soldier. For example, it looked like that all his suave brown locks were shaved off. It also seemed that he lost a considerable amount of weight as his face and frame looked a bit thinner.

Tess continued to glance over the mysterious yet good-looking man as she wanted to confirm her suspicions. She noticed that he was paler than usual when the tall detective focused her attention on his face.

_He doesn't look too good_, Tess thought, _I wonder what happened. _

She continued to think as she gazed into his chocolate-colored eyes. Those eyes! These were the eyes she couldn't forgot since the first time she saw them in the sewers. She recalled that time when she accidentally shot him in the abdomen region when she thought he was dangerous. She remembered that seconds before pulling the trigger, she briefly glimpsed into his eyes to reveal that they were full of innocence and pleading for her to put the gun down. However, that expression in his eyes didn't last long as the guiltless eyes changed into ones full of anger as he was transforming into his beast persona. That was when she pulled the trigger, out of fear, and shot him several times, If she only knew then...

Snapping out from a recollection of past memories, the detective knew what do to. "You **ARE** Vincent Keller! There is no doubt about it!" Tess exclaimed as she reached for the cellphone that was hidden within her pocket, "Wait until I tell J.T. about this." She gazed happily down at her phone, starting to looked up J.T.'s contact information before a hand gently grabbed hers to prevent her from moving her fingers.

"Look, miss. I don't who you are. But, I am not this Vincent Keller guy you are looking for," the mysterious man explained in a husky voice, "As a matter of fact, I don't know who I am or what I am doing here. It seems like I never really had a name or identity. You can search my pockets, I have nothing on me to tell you I am your Vincent Keller! I been wandering around this city as far as I can remember. I also know that I have been in and out conscious these couple days... But that information isn't relevant to your search. I can tell you again that I am most definitely not the guy who you claim that I suppose to be."

Tess stared the man down as she continued to question him, "Are you one hundred percent positive that you don't know who you are?" The middle-aged man shook his head in agreement.

"Or do you know how you landed here at Riverside Park?" the detective asked another question.

"I don't remember that part either. I just know that I slept over there," the man exhaled as he pointed to a section of the park where he took a rest at, "I must of passed out or got knock out in the last twenty-four hours. After I woke up from being disturbed by those police officers over there, I noticed that I had some blood on my hands. I went to a nearby sink to wash it because I figured that it must of been my blood," he responded as he looked down his hands. He heard from the police officers passing by that there was a jogger who was murdered by a some sort of creature. It couldn't have been him, right? He was quite certain that he didn't possess any knowledge or ability to transform into any sort of creature. He just had the ability to not recall things easily at the moment.

While this man was going over the possibility of having the capacity to become a monster or not silently, the detective's mind began to panic at the moment when he mentioned the word 'blood' and the odd location on his body where he found it. Did he just say he had blood on his hands? Holy shit, he might of just confirm the fact that he killed that female jogger in the very same park. And maybe, without even realizing it too. Could it be that he just "beast out" without knowing about it?

Tess contemplated grimly on the man's statements. What made the situation even stranger is the fact that he even doesn't remember who is he. It also seems like the guy had no recollection in how he ended up in Riverside Park today. Muirfield must of had something done in order to have his memory erased. What did that agency do in order to have him forget things easily?

_Well, I can't waste time on what type of experiments did Muirfield conduct on him,_ Tess stubbornly thought as the tall detective came to a conclusion in hopes to solve the mystery of the man standing in front of her, I_ MUST take him to J.T. right away. _

"Here is the thing; you don't know who you are while wandering around a crime scene. Do you see those guys over there," Tess spoke as she pointed to the police officers milling around the crime scene a short distance from them, "They are cops looking for clues in a jogger's murder. And if they see you, they might think you are a witness. Or even yet, the murderer! If you want your ass saved, I suggest you come with me right this minute without any questions." Tess stuck out her hand in the direction of the mysterious man, waiting for him to agree on the deal.

The well-built man in front of her pondered at the detective's offer for a bit while flashing a look of confusion to Tess. _Can I trust this woman?_ he mused as he turned around to focus his attention clearly on the situation, _I don't know who she is although she claims she does_. _I honestly don't know anyone in this city or even my own identity. Since she is sincerely offering to help me to recover my identity, I guess she could be trustworthy._

Once he made a decided, the middle-aged man turned around to face Tess once again. He looked straight her eyes as he began to speak. "I am willing to work with you," the mysterious man spoke as he took a hold of Tess' hand and shook it lightly, "I don't know who you are. But, I am willing to trust you if you can figure out who I am." He continued to look into her hazel eyes as he waited for her response.

"It's a deal," Tess smiled as she took a firm grip of his hand to lead the guy in the direction of her car's location. While walking, Tess took her car keys out from a jacket pocket and navigated them without bumping into her fellow co-workers or Gabe. _I can't risk the chance of having Gabe see this guy right now_, Tess worried as she traipsed through the park, _One look at him and that good-for-nothing ADA will get his grimy hands on this guy. _She grimaced at that thought as she continued to walk to their destination.

Once they reached the location, Tess opened the passenger door and gestured for the man to get in.

"Ok buddy, get in and fasten your seat belts," Tess sighed as she closed the door.

"It's going to be a bumpy ride."

* * *

"What do you mean you lost trace of him?"

Agent Reynolds stared angrily at the gray wall in front of him while waiting for a response from the other agent on the phone. His face turn a bright red as he got angrier and angrier when Agent Landon explained further about how the corrupt agency lost their prized experiment. He started to pound his fists gently into the gray wall in front of him. How could they lose their test subject, Vincent Keller?

_ How could they be **so** irresponsible?_

The other agents looked at him quietly, afraid of what would happen next. Reynolds turned around and saw the awe and fear in the agent's eyes. In one swift gesture, he urged everyone to get out the room before he lost the ability to contain his temper. The others complied and left the room hastily. While the other left, Agent Reynolds trudged along to the table in the center of the room, plopping down in one of the metal chairs. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in hopes to calm down.

"Excuse me for my bad behavior, Agent Landon. Let's start over, shall we? Can you explain to me, in full details, what happened?" The man with salt-and-pepper hair spoke calmly. He was hoping that it was all a joke. That Vincent Keller was still in the secure lab, behind the steel bars of the cage that they kept them in, and that, in all reality, nothing ever happened.

Agent Landon explained of the events of last night, "I don't know exactly how it happened. I just got to the lab this morning. However, the scientists stationed here stated that they heard a loud bang and animal-like growls around two in the morning in the lab. The security guard claimed that he saw Vincent. Well, the Vincent we don't want to be associated with."

"_Ok, ok_. Get to the point," Reynolds cut in, frustrated with Landon's roundabout way of reporting information.

"Well," the agent on the other end continued, "The security guard said Vincent was like his usual animal self with the growling, massive claws, the teeth, and a changed personality. However, the security felt that Vincent was more powerful ever as he didn't react to the stun gun, tranquilizer, the use of force, or any other restraining techniques done by the guard. It was like he was made out of steel and was unstoppable.

One of the psychologists who woke up from the noises came to the scene and tried to use sincerity to restore his human side. The psychologist tried others methods to subdue Vincent, however they didn't work. It was like he didn't hear a single thing from her. In fact, it was worse! By the time of the psychologist's fourth or fifth attempt to calm him down, Vincent nearly killed the poor woman by sweeping his claws in a neurotic way that had his hands attacking her chest.

After the failed interventions by the guard and psychologist, Vincent ran out the facility with little haste. The outside guards reported that they found a huge tear in the northeast section of the fence surrounding the facility. Those guards also reported that things were happening too fast for them to have a chance to encounter Vincent. By the time they got to that section of the gate, Vincent was long gone.

Of course, you heard about the mauling attack of a young female jogger this morning in the park. It is too early to tell if it is Vincent's doing or not due to the fact that the only reports out right now are from the local news bureaus. Word has it that the city police have set up a special task force and are investigating the crime scene right now. The person in charge of this operation, ADA Gabe Logan, should give a briefing about the case before the end of the day. Should I alert you when the press conference starts?"

"By all means, Agent Landon, please do. Please be safe," the older man instructed as he hung up the phone and placed it on the bare table.

The situation was worse than he feared. Vincent has become more animistic, more lethal, and less humane. This was what Muirfield wanted; to create monsters to do their dirty deeds with little or no compassion. Sure, they stated that would destroy all the initial test subjects during their experiments in Afghanistan. He knew their plans since he was a lab assistant to Vanessa Chandler for her cross-species experiment at the same time. The former assistant remembered the exact moment when the head of Muirfield told the lab's staff that they had a change of plans. They had to eliminate all of the test subjects. He could recall Vanessa's pained expressions as Muirfield agents destroyed the test subjects without any mercy. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, they were killing real humans.

It was later that he learned the dark side of Muirfield's true intentions. When Reynolds came upon information about the beast attack involving his own daughter in 2003, the head of Muirfield, McCleary, gave his agents a new order: capture the so-called beast creature at any means. The logic behind the orders was that the head of Muirfield wanted to conduct further experiments on Vincent to test his limits and improve on their mistakes. At that point, Reynolds realized what was Muirfield's true intention: they didn't care for Vincent's humanity anymore, McCleary and his minions only wanted to make Vincent into a killing machine.

Reynolds thought that if he could capture Vincent for himself, then Muirfield's plans would be foiled. The agent could have the man-beast kill the very same people who destroyed Vincent's and other lives at the sake of Reynold's thirst of revenge. This was the reason why Reynolds had to capture the former army soldier last spring. But once Reynolds was able to track down the beast, he didn't expect that he would see his daughter again or see first-hand that she was caught up in an romantic relationship with Vincent.

However, the FBI agent's plans fell through two months after his team successfully captured Vincent. It happened in the middle of hot, smoggy July night when a team of Murfield agents infiltrate his concealed basement lab by killing the security team. It seemed that the team was ever so stealthy as there were barely any signs of them entering on the security tapes. Once they got access, those scumbags, as Reynolds would put it, got a hold of Vincent, tranquilized him to make sure he wouldn't wake up during the move, and kidnapped him. Since that day, Reynolds would keep on watching the video over and over, cursing himself inwardly on how easily those agents got into his lab and got a hold on his secret weapon. It infuriated him.

The older man stood up and slowly walked the entrance of the room. He opened the door and saw that the very same agents who were in the room with him awhile ago were standing at attention in the hallway, waiting for further commands. Reynolds handed the cellphone back to the young blonde-haired agent and instructed him with a semi-harsh tone in his voice.

"I want you to keep an eye on my daughter. She is going to be in serious danger".


	5. Visiting an Old Friend

**Author's Notes**

Hey guys, here is the next chapter like I promised. I want to thank DenisefromNY for reviewing the last chapter. Please make sure to leave a review after reading. I want to know if what I am writing is good or I have to improve it. I also love to hear from the readers about what they think about this story. It's ok to say this is a terrible story with terrible grammar and spelling!

Thanks again!

* * *

**CHAPTER 5**

Tess pulled up in front of J.T.'s apartment a short while after leaving the park. The long-haired detective turned off the engine when she felt the car come to a complete stop by the edge of the street. She let go of the handle and the keys as her head turned to the mysterious guy. "I want you to ALWAYS keep calm and never worry," she began to instructed him nonchalantly, "This is guy is a friend, not the bad guy. He is actually Vincent's best friend and might even think that you are him. In fact, he might get a little TOO excited once he sees you. Please don't overreact or get frighten. We know what happens if your adrenaline levels spikes..."

"I don't think I follow you" the man in the passenger seat said with a confused look.

_Oh, that's right_, Tess thought in an irritated tone while turning her head to look out the driver side's window, _He MAY look like Vincent, but he doesn't have the thoughts or memories like Vincent did. We have to take this step by step. First step is calling J.T. before things get out of hand._

Tess then turned to face the stranger once again, smiling in hopes that he wasn't too confused by what she said. "It was just a joke. Don't take it seriously!" the brunette spoke lightheartedly, "Speaking of seriously, I need to make a quick phone call before we head up. Do you mind if I step out for a few minutes to make this phone call?" The man simply nodded a no. "Thanks a lot, bud," the middle-aged brunette smirked as she unfastened her seat belt, "Just stay here until I come back, ok?" The woman took her keys and got out the car, locking the car in case the man was having thoughts of escaping. Feeling secure that the man in her car wasn't going anywhere, Tess ran across the sidewalk and leaned against a wall belonging to the apartment building, dialing her boyfriend's number.

"Hello, J.T. Forbes speaking" a male voice came on after a few rings.

"Hey, J.T. Do you have a minute?" Tess asked as she focused her eyes on her car. J.T. exhaled a deep breath with slight annoyance before he answered, "I am in a middle of watching a Rangers game. Can it wait?"

"It is very important to talk to you right now. You might want to stop watching that hockey match after you hear what I found," Tess started hesitantly, approaching the situation as if she was walking on eggshells, "Do you remember that you have a best friend named Vincent Keller who was a doctor-turned-beast and that you, me, and Cat are currently searching for. Well, I found him and he is currently in my car, waiting to meet you. There is a slight problem..." She trailed off, hoping that he was paying attention.

"Wait you found Vincent? Is he ok? Where did you find him? What "slight" problem?" a stunned J.T. began to rapidly ask. He started to rattle off a list of questions that he was hoping to ask when his best friend was found.

"Well, to answer the "Is he ok?" question, he looks ok. He has changed physically a little bit since the last time you saw him. To answer the next question, I found him in the park today near that slain jogger's body," Tess continued, "The slight problem is that he has no clue who he is. He might look like Vincent Keller, but he certainly doesn't remember that he is Vincent Keller. His memory got wiped somehow.

He also doesn't remember how he got to the park today. I am guessing he doesn't have no recollections about the jogger and how she was murdered. But oddly enough, he did mention that when he woke up from sleeping on the sidewalk, he had blood on his hands. Does that mean he can beast out with remembering it? If he still can, this guy could of killed that woman in the park without knowing it. This new Vincent could be even more dangerous since he doesn't know what he is doing!"

J.T.'s mind was racing when Tess mentioned "Vincent's hands" and "blood" together in one sentence. Maybe Tess' suspensions were right? He was glad that Vincent was alive and was in one piece. However, he was disappointed at the fact that his best friend was unable to remember who or what he can become.

He slowly reeled in Tess' revelation for a bit before responding. "Ok, Tess, this is what we have to do," J.T. began, "He has to come upstairs to my apartment right this minute. We, meaning you and me, have to keep a watchful eye on him so he doesn't instantly disappear into the night and kill another innocent person. I will try to figure out what the hell happened to him by running tests with the few resources in my new apartment. I might have to go to the lab to get a few things later on. Could I trust you to stay with me for an extended time and keep an eye on him until I know what happened? Remember, you can't let Catherine know about this or she will freak out and race to get here the moment she hears "Vincent". Knowing that Cat's adrenaline levels will be sky high, Vincent might blank out and turn into a beast to protect himself. This will put anyone in risk, especially Cat. Please promise me."

"I promise that I wouldn't tell a soul about him," she reassured her boyfriend on the phone, "I can stay for an extended time if I can pick up a couple of things from my apartment from time to time." The thought of sharing an apartment together made Tess blush a little. Yes, this woman has stayed in various living spaces and even beds with past lovers before. But, those words coming from a cute, sometimes fumbling nerd like J.T. was pretty charming and sweet.

"Sure thing," her boyfriend sweetly said, "I see you in a little bit."

After Tess said her goodbyes, she hung up the phone and walked towards her car. She breathed a sigh of relief when the detective saw that the man mentioned frequently in the phone conversation was still in her car, calmly pressing his face to the window and watching what was going outside. _Thank God he is still here and didn't beast out_, Tess grinned inwardly as she took her keys out of her pockets and pressed the button to unlock her car. She opened the passenger's door and greeted the stranger, "Hey, sorry for making you wait. Shall we go?" She extended her hand towards him hoping that he was willing to take it and go.

The man smiled and took her hand as he started to get out of the car. "I take it that the man on the phone was your boyfriend?" the brown-haired guy lightly bantered while they walk towards the building's door. This caused Tess to turn a little red around the cheeks. "How did you know?" she asked as they reached the elevators. The brunette pressed a button on the side panel as they waited for the doors to open.

How did he know about her little conversation? Ah, yes! He recalled that one of the scientist at a lab he forced to live at mentioned that one his many abilities was super hearing.

_"I am going to conduct another experiment", a pale blonde scientist with a long stature who went by the name of Dr. Kaiser notified him behind the bars of his iron cage,"Today, I am testing you on your sense of hearing. Hopefully you are ready." He groaned in response. Another experiment, another time to become someone's test dummy. He felt like a monkey in a cage, just obeying what these scientist wanted in order for him to survive._

_"I take that as a yes", the woman continued as she looked over her lab notes, "In another room in this building, Li Zhao is talking to someone. Can you tell me if you can hear him?" _

_On cue, the middle-aged man closed his eyes to concentrate in efforts of finding Li Zhao. His voice wasn't hard to find, he knew well what the sponsor of Muirfield sounded like as the man would come into the laboratory from time to time, checking on the experiment's progress. _

_"I found his voice," the man exclaimed once he could hear Zhao's voice. "Good job," the scientist praised him with an emotionless face, "Now, can you tell me what he is saying?"_

_The human experiment focused on the agent's words. A brief moment later, he began to hear what was being said. "...got to order the research team to speed up their experiments on Vincent Keller..." the businessman spoke as his conversation was coming in piece by piece, "...if they can't, we will fire them and hire a new team who will be willing to do everything in half the time."_

_Who was this Vincent Keller? Was it him? To his knowledge, he was the only "human" who was being experimented on in this lab. What did Zhao mean that the experiments have to be sped up? All these questions were going through his head as he stared off into space for a bit. He then realized that one of these scientist that Zhao mentioned was standing in front of him, expecting him to give her some sort of answer._

_Should he be truthful? Or should he lie about what Zhao said? The man in the cage felt that both parties were using him for their personal gains as they didn't care for him as a human. However, he guessed that he had to be truthfully to the woman in front of him. Though they experimented on him a lot, the scientists there at least showed him a little compassion unlike Li Zhao._

_The man cleared his throat, speaking to Dr. Kaiser, "He is saying that if the research isn't going any faster than the current speed, he is going to hire a new team to replace the current one," he informed her with complete honesty._

_The pale blonde scientist exhaled an annoyed sound as she rolled her eyes and banged her fist lightly against the iron bars. "We told him many times that these experiments are delicate," Dr. Kaiser whispered bitterly as she turned around so the test subject wouldn't hear her, "What does he truly want from this experiment? To quickly make his own beasts? For what reason?" She faced the man in cage once again and thanked him for his help. Dr. Kaiser then opened up to a blank page in her notebook and gripped her pen. "It seems like you have the ability to hear things from far away," she quietly informed him as she jotted notes down, "Congratulations, you can add super hearing to the list of abilities you possess." She finished up writing and closed her notebook as she began to walk off._

_"Wait," the man behind the iron cage exclaimed, trying to get her attention before she trailed off, "Can you tell me one thing. Who is Vincent Keller?"_

_The woman looked dead in his eyes and said, "It's you. You are Vincent Keller"_

"Earth to mystery boy, are you coming or what?"

That annoying Brooklyn-accent voice came crashing through his flashback. He blinked twice and realized that the woman was already inside the elevator, looking at him with an impatient look. He apologized and headed in. Tess pushed a couple buttons, making the doors close and having the car start moving upwards. As it was moving, he went back to the earlier memory in the lab with Dr. Kaiser. She said he was Vincent Keller and that was who this woman next to him was looking for. It wasn't a coincidence? There must be more than one Vincent Keller out there! He was sure that this woman was looking for a different person with the same name.

He turned his body to face the woman next to him and whispered, "By the way, I have an ability called super hearing, to answer your question. Or that is what the scientist in the lab told me. So, I was getting bored in that stuffy car of yours. The people in this city have boring stuff to talk about. Only you had the most interesting conversation in a five mile radius" Tess gasped in shock when he revealed one of his abilities, _Look who is the dummy now! Of course he would have super hearing as an ability of his. I have to be careful of what I say from even far away. I wonder how much he listened into my phone chat with J.T.._

But before she could ask the man next her that question, the elevator dinged to indicate they had arrive at their destination. The doors opened moments later as the two got off the elevator car with Tess leading the way to her boyfriend's apartment. Once they got there, the detective rang the bell and yelled, "Hey J.T.! It's me, Tess. Open up!"

A voice inside the apartment yelled back, "It's unlocked already, just come on in." Tess smirked a little, annoyed that J.T. would leave his door unlocked in times like these. Nevertheless, Tess grasped the handle and turned it to open the door. She gestured the so-called stranger to come in behind her as she swung the door gently. She playfully laughed while walking in as she saw J.T. watching the final moments of his prized hockey match, "It looks like the New York Rangers are going lose!"

"Haha very funny! I bet you are a psychic just by looking at the scoreboard on the upper right corner of the screen " J.T. scornfully commented before moving on the reason why she was there, "What was so important that had you come up here and interrupted the last moments of an important hockey game?" The chubby middle-aged man with little hair on top, a less-visible blabo, and glasses turned around to face the woman he was currently infatuated with. He could see that there was another person standing behind Tess but couldn't clearly tell who it was since the guy and Tess seemed to be the same height. Also, that the professor couldn't make out who exactly the man was as J.T. had dimmed all the lights in order to get a better viewing experience during the game.

"J.T Forbes, meet the mysterious man I found in the park today," Tess cheerfully announced as she took a couple steps to the right. She encouraged the mysterious man to come a bit forward by grabbing one of his wrists and pulled him forward. As soon as the man came into J.T.'s view, the professor's jaw dropped as he stared at the guy in front of him in total shock.

"Holy shit, **THAT** is indeed Vincent Keller."


	6. Musings

Happy New Years! (^^(v

I celebrated the beginning of the new year in Kyoto with my brother, who came to visited me for two weeks. We also spent the winter holidays traveling all over Japan. We were soooo tired and busy!

Enjoy the latest chapter and the cliché ending!

* * *

Catherine Chandler was having another boring day at work. Her partner was gone for most of the day, investigating some sort of crime as part of that new taskforce.

_And, here she is! _

Doing mundane desk work by editing and finishing up crime reports from other officers. She wasn't born for this kind of work! She wanted more; she wanted to be in the front of the action.

Before Vincent was kidnapped, the long-haired dark brunette officer was tackling the toughest and most brutal crimes in the New York City area. Most of the time, it was trying to escape from Muirfield agents who were trying to kill Vincent or anyone who knew about him. Sometimes, those involvements with the deadly agency came into the spotlight of many of her squad's investigations. She had to lie about her involvement as she didn't want to get into deep trouble with her ex-boss Joe Bishop. Also, she wanted to protect Vincent from her squad as they could arrest him or, even worst, kill him. It almost happened last winter when the New York Police Department went crazy, trying to find Vincent, her beast, in a huge manhunt. Thank God they escaped that mess with Vincent not behind bars or even dead!

However, she couldn't save him completely from the danger as she accidently let him slip from her fingers and get kidnapped by Muirfield agents.

_"Goddamn, I am so weak"_, she scolded herself, _"If I was able to tear through the net quicker or if I came to Vincent's rescue sooner, I might of been able to avoid him being kidnapped." _

Even though she occasionally put scolded her on or try to re-strategized her failed plans from that night, she didn't lose hope in finding her beloved beast.

Cat sighed as she look at the clock, "It's already three o'clock. Tess has been gone most of the day. Where the _**hell**_ is she?" She took a sip of the bitter instant coffee that was growing colder and colder in her coffee cup. It seemed that time was always on the opposite side of her favor. She sensed that there was too little of it as she couldn't get the most of every minute she spent searching for Vincent.

The middle-aged police officer started her quest the moment after she lost sight of Vincent. She remembered that night clearly like if it happened yesterday. Those emotions emerged once more. How lost and confused she felt as she watched the man she loved being whisked away in helicopter by supposedly Muirfield agents.

_Staring out for what seems for a while into the jet-black cloak hanging up above her that was brimming with small clusters of stars, she gathered herself as she ponder on the next steps. "I have to save him. But how?" she mused as her eyes darted off in different directions to find a quick solution. She found it on the ground a feet away from her, "Maybe this will do."_

_Quick on her feet, she raced to find to something that could resuscitate Gabe Lowen from death. She ran blindly around the manor, trying to find that one thing that could save a life and rescue another. She finally found a defibrillator near the stairwell on the first floor. She ripped the box off the wall as she ran back to Gabe's still body. She hastily opened the box, powered up the machine, and placed the pads on the exact locations of his body that were instructed on the box. Once the machine signaled that it was charged and ready to be administered, she quickly pressed the button and let the machine do it's job. She kept quiet during the initial procedure and monitored the compact heart rate monitor that she attached on his right wrist. She was hoping that one bolt of electricity was enough since she didn't know if Gabe's fragile beast state could handle all the voltage._

_"It didn't work," she hissed as the straight lines didn't move an inch up on the heart rate monitor, "I don't think the pads are working! What else is in this kit?" She searched one more, finding a pair of manual defibrillator paddles. "Why didn't I think of this first", she chided as she quickly unwinded the paddles and attached them to the machine. A brief period of time later, she pushed the paddles upon Gabe's bare breastplates when the machine beeped that it was alright to do so. "Come on, work. Damn it!" she yelled as she repeated the procedure over and over until she could get his heart to start working again._

**_Beep. Beep. Beep._**

_The sudden beeps from the heart rate monitor broke through Cat's crazed delirium. "He is finally alive," Cat exhaled as she put the paddles down and gingerly turned off the machine. _

_Now she could use Gabe's beast insticts to find Vincent. Even though he was the villain of the story a couple hours ago, she could easily persuded him on their side; she just saved his life. Speaking of saving lives, she was no doctor and had to get a nearby hospital to seek further medical assistance. She got out her cellphone and started to dial 911 but stopped midway through._

_Should I take him to J.T. instead or will be safe at general hospital?_

_Sure, J.T. was an expert in dealing with anything relating to "beasts" and could return Gabe to his former self. However, J.T. also hated Gabe and Joe for sicking the entire New York Police Department on him and Vincent. The ADA and the boss at Cat's work destroyed the lives of this two innocent people due to maniacal motives. But on the other hand, if she took him to the hospital, she could put Gabe in risk if they found out that he isn't quite human._

_She decided at that moment that it was best to send him to a hospital where he could get the best care and out of J.T.'s warpath. She completed dialing the number and waiting for an operator to pick up..._

Her mind floated to another person who knew a lot about this investigation; J.T.. He has changed over the course of the investigation. At the beginning, J.T. was always there, supporting Cat in any way possible. Need help looking at countless sullivance videos at every waking minute? J.T. was watching those videos. Need help to run a series of DNA samples from a crime scene that witnesses said they might of saw a beast-like creature? J.T. was scanning away. How about the times when Cat needed a shoulder to cry on or emotional support? Well, J.T. wasn't there for that, he was terrible at things like that. That's why she always ran to Tess whenever she needed someone to lean on.

But recently, J.T. has been drifiting away from her. Like he was leading on his own investigation or something big happened in life to stray from the action. J.T. would usually say he was either busy or wasn't available whenever Cat rang him up to ask for any assistance.

_"Something has changed",_ Cat mulled over the idea of a changed J.T. while shuffling through random report papers on her desk, _"But, I can't place a finger on it. Maybe it's something too personal that he is too shy to tell me. Typical J.T.!"_

It wasn't only J.T. who had a changed personality. Even her best friend has become more and more secretive since the middle of the search. It seemed like Tess and J.T. have teamed up and formed their own investigation without tell her.

_"How absurd!,"_ the brunette mentally laughed, _"Tess and J.T.? Together? It's like having both a cat and a dog in one room? It would be terrible combination!"_

Cat mused about her changed friends a little bit, dazing off in her own world. She began to close her eyes to concentrate her thoughts a little more. While she continued to think, a slender figure stopped behind her and sternly scolded her, "Daydreaming on the job, Detective. Your former boss and the ADA didn't mention anything about this character trait in the district staff notes. Mind to tell me what you are daydreaming about and why are doing it at this ungodly hour?"

At the sound of the voice, Cat's eyes instantly popped open as she slowly turned her head towards the figure. "I'm sorry. This is unusual for me. You know, sometimes we have a rough night. I did last night. I had a TERRIBLE night sleeping last night," Cat tried to cover up the reason why she was mentally not there at the workforce. She smiled brightly in order to make the figure behind her believe every word, "Believe me, this is not my normal behavior. Again, I am sorry... Sorry, what is your name again?"

"To you, I am Captain McIntyre. And I hope this behavior never happens again. I would be heartbroken if one of New York's finest detectives didn't complete her work effectively because of daydreaming or lack of sleep. Please rest well tonight. I am counting on you to lead on any future investigations," McIntyre briskly warned. Cat just nodded slightly.

"Now that we got that out of the way," the salt and pepper police captain continued as he changed subjects, "I need your help. There has been a report from the police radios that there was a possible rape near 102nd Street last night. This might be connected to the serial rapist that has been targeting a young woman once a week at a well-known location."

"Do we have a profile of the suspect? Who has been running the investigations of the two somewhat similar incidents?" Cat asked as she ran down the list of basic questions that all detectives ask at the beginning of any case.

"I don't have all the details as this possible rape incident is the first one in this precinct. All the rest have happened in other areas. The mayor and the Chief of NYPD has recently asked all precinct in the affect areas assemble a task force. I want you to assist in this team alongside Detective Almodóvar. I recommended you due to your high success rate of solving cases, especially the ones which were left open for a long time. I know with your skills, you could help the police department catch the suspect in a timely manner. I hope that you are willing to participate," Captain McIntyre concluded with the hopes of her joining the task force.

It seemed that there was a lot of task forces popping up everyday, from this one to the secret one lead by Gabe Lowen. This must be a norm of working for the largest police departments in the country.

However, Cat was beginning to question his tactics. Why did McIntyre wan her to partake in a sex crime? Wasn't that a job for the Special _Victims Unit_, not Special _Crimes_?

The petite officer was flattered that her ex-boss Joe left very positive reviews about her work. Speaking of those notes, didn't he leave comments about how she worked efficaciously on solving occurrence that were related to the mysteriously beast creature of last spring? Wasn't she more appropriate to be on Gabe's secret taskforce than half the people who got appointed. Something was certainly fishy!

Yet, Cat concluded that she had to work on this sex case because she didn't want to leave a bad impression with the new captain. "I agree to take the case. Just let me what should I do and who I should see," Cat grinned the most fake smile on the planet. She didn't want to work this case but she had to!

"Thank you for your willingness," the salt-and-pepper haired man grinned back, "You can meet Detective Almodóvar at his desk on the floor below this one. Yes, he is a detective for Special Victims Unit but one of the best. He is currently waiting to depart with you to the crime scene to investigate the leads and interview any possible victims. Please let me know what you find and if you need any help at anytime."

Cat nodded as she began to take her purse and necessary belongings with her. She simply told the Captain "I will" as she stood up, pushed her chair in, and waved a simply goodbye to him as she walking to the elevator.

"Good", McIntyre evilly smiled as the brunette detective walked away, "I got her to chase a case that isn't in her expertise. The further I get that mousy little Cat away from Gabe's secret beast-related case, the more I can have access to it. Hopefully, my secret agent in Gabe's taskforce can gather great deal of information. I don't want to disappoint Li Zhao."


	7. Uncomfortable Acquainting

_I am able to upload another chapter due to a three day weekend, Hooray! This is a short chapter but an important one. Enjoy!_

* * *

_**Previously on "Beauty and the Beast"...**_

_"J.T Forbes, meet the mysterious man I found in the park today," Tess cheerfully announced as she took a couple steps to the right. She encouraged the mysterious man to come a bit forward by grabbing one of his wrists and pulled him forward. As soon as the man came into J.T.'s view, the professor's jaw dropped as he stared at the guy in front of him in total shock._

_"Holy shit, **THAT** is indeed Vincent Keller."_

* * *

Tess rose an eyebrow at J.T. to remind him that the person in front him may look like Vincent Keller but he has no memory of him. J.T. took the hint as formed an "Oh, that's right" expression with his lips. He scurried towards the mysterious man and stuck out a hand, "I am very sorry for my rudeness. Let me start again. My name is J.T. Forbes. Nice to meet you..." He trailed off in hopes that the guy would response with a name.

"Nice to meet you. I don't know what to really call myself. I been wandering around the streets for quite a while without a name. As far as I can remember, which isn't far back I think," the leaner man spoke as he shook J.T.'s hand, "In fact, I want someone to tell me who I am. But, I don't know who to really trust. This woman is the first person who I talked to who isn't a scientist or an agent."

"Well, you can trust us. We will not hurt you, I promise," Tess reassured, "We don't mean any harm, we are trying to find someone too. How about you sit down on the couch over there and tell us all what you know." The detective put on a genuine smile as she lead the stranger to the couch and sat down a short distance from the guy on a bar stool. J.T. followed, opting to sit on a cushioned chair nearby the two.

The buzz-cut hairstyle fellow sat down as he felt that the woman's words were truly authentic. She was right, the two of them didn't seem like the type to hurt him. Or even try to use him as a pet-monkey in a gilded cage like all those scientist did. Maybe he could find out his identity and freedom with the detective as he knew she had access to a ton of resources. _"Maybe, it is beneficial if I open my tale to these guys,"_ the middle-aged guy pondered, _"This chick nearby can surely help me."_

He scratched the back of his head as he started his tale, "I don't remember much as I been going in and out of conscious. As far back as I remember, I been locked up in this top-secret laboratory with a bunch of agents and scientists who work for an agency that, I think, is called Muirfield." The mentioned of that agency's names sent shockwaves through J.T. and Tess. The two exchanged worried looks as they continued to listen to the man's story.

"I was always living in a cage that was the size of a partial bathroom. I rarely got out but got three square meals everyday. I recall that a different set of scientists came to run various tests on me periodically throughout the day," the bass voice spoke.

"What kind of tests did they run?" J.T. inquired.

"They ran, ummm..." the stranger faltered, wondering if he could **REALLY** trust these people. He barely knew them but he was going to spill the beans and let these two know all about his secrets!

_**He didn't know what do! **_

He paused for a minute to reflect on the situation, closing his eyes to concentrate. After a while, the mysterious man sitting on the couch came to a solution and open his eyes to look at the two pair of eyes staring back at him. He professed with a skeptical tone, "Look, you guys are great. But, I don't think I can trust you completely to tell this humiliating secret I have. The scientist believed it. However, I think a normal person wouldn't believe me. It's pretty crazy!"

Tess laughed a little, "Trust me, big guy. I am a detective on a police force, I have seen pretty crazy things from time to time. I don't think your secret will be even remotely crazy." Tess reassured the man across from her with a slight smile. What more could they lose or gain if the guy told them of his secret? What was he afraid of them? J.T. and her being Muirfield spies and they were there to take him away, back to the secret laboratory?

_Fat chance._

The man turned his eyes on J.T. and posed the same question, "How about you?" J.T. began to sweat nervously as the man's eyes bore into his own soul, trying to find out the truth. The stout man with glasses started to blabber on, "Well, you see... Like Tess said, we have seen crazy things. I am a professor slash scientist at one of the local universities. Even some of my colleagues' compositions in well-respected journals are _INSANE_! Let me tell you about my colleague Mike. He wrote an article in the "Journal of Science" about how monkeys could turn into bird-like creatures by altering their DNA at birth. Absurd, right?" J.T. continued to murmur, hoping that the man who looks like his best friend would take the bait. Because J.T. knew already, based on what the man previously said about the experiments and the lab, that this stranger was actually the person they been looking for. He was just waiting for the guy to trust them.

In spite of that, the man didn't fall for J.T.'s trick. Instead, he was the exact opposite! While J.T. and Tess was talking about how this guy could trust them with his little secret, he was examining their heart rate and how much they were perspiring to see if they could actually tell the truth. The tall brunette police detective passed with flying colors as her heart was calm, she didn't sweat, and he sensed that what she was saying was true. However, the sparsely haired man with the balbo was the exact opposite. As soon as expressed his opinions, the stranger noticed that around the side of J.T.'s round face that there were beads of sweat that was starting to pour out from the skin. Also, the chubby man's heart beat began to climb upwards at every word he said.

He had enough of the situation and knew what to do. The physically fit man stood up and informed the couple of his plans, "It's been nice knowing you guys. But, I have to go. I know you want me to stay and chat more about my life however, the point-blank truth is that I can't trust you. Thank you for being so kind and hospitable." The man began to walk to the door as a perplexed Tess questioned his intentions, "What are you going to do now? Surely, you don't have an identity or a place to call home." He turned to look at the hazel-eyed woman and replied back, "I am going to go back to the park to see if I can find anything about my identity there." While talking, he didn't notice the plump professor ran in front of him, using his body to block this stranger from leaving.

"You got to be kidding," J.T. laughed anxiously, "You don't have anywhere to go, right? Why don't you stay here with me. I have plenty of space." Tess looked at his face with the expression of "Hey, didn't you promise I could sleep with you for the time being? Where am I going to sleep?". J.T. ignored his girlfriend's expression as he grabbed onto the other guy's wrists, trying to prevent him from going even more.

_"I had enough with this annoying man,"_ the irritated stranger mentally spoke in a harsh tone, _"He is too noisy, too bossy, and starting to get on my nerves!"_

The guy glared at the man before his eyes turned bright yellow, his face became contorted and shape-shifted like an animal, and his fingernails became longer with his hands starting to be covered with fur-like material. "Get out of my way," he snarled sharply at J.T. with his pointy canines. With a deep breath, the unknown person calmed down as he returned to his ordinary self. He looked around and noticed the J.T. and Tess displayed a mixed expression of shocked and fright with eyes wide open and mouths slightly ajar. He knew at that moment that he should get out of there as soon as possible.

The man searched around and noticed that there were a few windows by the sofa. He hastily ran to a window, turned the latches, slid it open, and jumped out without looking back.

The remaining two beings just stared at the now-opened windows as they couldn't believe what happened. Without moving her head, Tess muttered, "Do you see that, J.T.?" The pudgy man acknowledged, "Yes, I did. That is most definitely Vincent! I am 100% about it."


	8. Rethinking Strategies

**Author's Note:** Here is another chapter! This is a continuation from the last chapter. Enjoy! :D

* * *

_**Previously on "Beauty and the Beast"**_

_The physically fit man with the military-styled buzzcut searched around and noticed that there were a few windows by the sofa. He hastily ran to a window, turned the latches, slid it open, and jumped out without looking back._

_The remaining two beings just stared at the now-opened windows as they couldn't believe what happened. Without moving her head, Tess muttered, "Do you see that, J.T.?" The pudgy man acknowledged, "Yes, I did. That is most definitely Vincent! I am 100% about it."_

* * *

**CHAPTER 8**

The couple kept staring at the open window for a while as they couldn't believe what just happened. The enigmatic person who was just standing in the living room a brief while ago, retelling his tale of the events before his encounter with Tess in the park, just left by leaping out a window with no fear. It was something only that Vincent would do.

**_Vincent!_**

J.T. and Tess turned their heads towards each other as each one acknowledged silently that they found him at last! However, their so-called Vincent had fled and blended in with the everyday crowded streets of New York City.

"Oh shit, that was Vincent but he is gone," the long haired brunette began to speak in a slight anger tone as she approached the open window and looked down at the streets below, hoping to spot their would-be friend.

With no signs of his appearance, she swiftly turned towards her boyfriend, questioning him bitterly, "How could we let him escape? What did you say or do to have Vincent run away like that?" She blew out an annoyed breath as the good-looking detective return to the huge couch that Vincent took a seat at before he escaped. She sat down in a position with a elbow propped up on the top edge of the sofa and her right cheek leaning against her fingers.

How could they let him escape? After all those months of grueling investigating with false leads and dead ends, they finally found him. But, how they let him escape so easily was a mystery yet to be solved.

"Hey, what the hell do you mean? Do you think it was my fault?" the nerdy guy with glasses enquired with hot nerves. He plodding loudly with heavy footsteps as he took a seat next to her. "We don't know what happened. It **COULD** be your fault. You were asking too many "in depth questions" for the first encounter. You were all like "Trust me, big guy. I am a detective on a police force, I have seen pretty crazy things from time to time." If I was in Vincent's shoes and I never knew you before today, I would give you zero points in the trust department." Tess shot back quickly, "Well, I didn't entice the stranger with a story about my colleagues. Is that how you gain someone's trust; just tell them a story about your bizarre colleagues. Great going there, buddy."

She noticed something particular around J.T.'s face. Wait, was that sweat?

_**God damn it, J.T.!**_

Leave it to him to mess things up because of his careless actions like sweating profusely because he was nervous for what-so-ever reason. She loved this fumbling idiot most of the time, just not at **_this_** moment. Even she, someone who was recently pulled into this secret club of knowing about beast all thanks to her best friend's suspicious love life, knew that Vincent had a heightened senses. He must've seen the sweat and heard J.T.'s heart pounding at an unusual fast pace to determine that J.T. was either lying about his intentions or hiding something from him.

_**Damn**_, that idiot.

"Hey J.T., why in the heck are you sweating profusely? You couldn't be nervous about meeting a guy you seen countless times before?" Tess inquired with a teasing edge in her voice. The chubby professor grabbed the now warm Budweiser beer that he had started drinking during the hockey match. He tilted the bottle's opening to his lips and resumed drinking. He would need an ample amount of beer to face the woman in front of him with the truth. Tess was a great woman but sometimes scary when it came to sensing the truth or a lie with her police instincts. He lightly sighed, he better come clean with her or face the worse.

He took a giant swig of the drink and sat the bottle down. "To tell you truth, I was a bit nervous," he explained as Tess shot a dark glare at him, "Oh ok, ok! I was _**very**_ nervous. How would you feel if you were approached by a figure who you thought was your friend but doesn't know who you or I am? I was scared that if I said the wrong words, I would lose my best friend again. I didn't want that to happen." He took a pause to realized what his actions did involuntary.

"Do you think it's because of my nerves that Vincent ran away," J.T. asked. Tess simply nodded a yes as J.T.'s eyes just widen at the realization that it was all his fault, he caused his "best friend" to run away. "Oh shit. We have to do something. And fast!" he exclaimed as he jumped up from the couch, trying to figure out what to do. Tess didn't notice how insane J.T. looked right now as she approached the situation in a chilled manner. She coolly replied, "Relax big guy. Knowing that this so-called Vincent has no memory whatsoever of his life before being in a laboratory, my suspicions are that he is heading towards the only place he currently knows; Riverside Park. And since there is a big investigation going on with my precinct, he has to approach the scene carefully or he might be noticed.

Let's take this plan of action: you and me go to Riverside Park in my car. While I am finishing up the day with the examination of that jogger's death, you can do your own secret sleuthing. Just don't get in the New York Police Department's way or I will hear it from Gabe Lowen during the daily briefing. Do you understand?" J.T. agreed with Tess' plans as his face scrawled an angry look at the mention of Gabe's name. It was that damn beast's fault that Vincent was kidnapped. If he didn't lure his best friend into his manor, then they wouldn't be in such a bind. _If only!_

Tess stood up from her seat and went to her belongings. As soon as she picked up her phone, it started to beep. She looked down at the phone and noticed that there was a message from Gabe. It read: "Meet me in my office in thirty minutes. You cannot be late. We have to discuss about the findings at the park today. Thanks, Gabe." She cursed mentally at the text. She put the phone in her pocket and turned to look at her boyfriend with a annoyed look. "Oh great. Gabe wants a big pow-wow in his office in thirty minutes. Since I spent the majority of the day playing a friend for _that_ stranger, I barely had time to comb through the crime scene. Hopefully someone else can cover my ass when I get there," she rambled on as she put her arms around J.T.'s squared shoulders, "It looks like you have to do this alone, partner. Sorry to ditch you like this. I will try to join you as soon as the "suave" ADA sets us free. Remember, make sure that Catherine gets no word of this. We cannot have her putting her nose in a dangerous situation just yet. We just found Vincent but he doesn't know who we are. We can't risk Catherine's fragile heart to be broken again." She apologized even further with a chaste kiss on the lips.

The kiss was brief as the two broke contact a second after they met. Her fumbling, nerdy man of science looked at her with a tender gazed as he replied, "That's ok, do what you got to do. I got this! I will call and text you if anything comes up. Speaking of anything, you know I was only offering that Vincent could stay with **us** in this apartment. It's big enough for you, me, and my best friend. We could have a ton of people living here but I would only care about being with you". He reaffirmed his feelings for her with a quick kiss on the nose as his lovely lady slowly retracted her arms back to her sides.

"Sure you do, buddy. I love you too. See you later for dinner. It's ok to go out to dinner again tonight? Last night was sweetly romantic and I was hoping to repeat the same thing, if are willing to do so. I'll text you where I want to go to dinner if you are up to it, buster," Tess grinned as she gathered her belongings and began walking towards the door. The professor waved back at her as he watched her exit the apartment.

He didn't mind her dine-out request because it meant that they got a chance to spend quality time together. Maybe tonight will be the first night where she could spend living together with him. J.T. smiled at the idea as he began cleaning up his apartment and get ready to search for his best friend.


	9. Completely Human

**Author's Note:** Hey y'all, hope you enjoying the winter weather. It's a bit crazy inside and outside!

This was originally Chapter 8 but I decided to move this chapter down from the list as it's kind a stand alone. But, a _**very**_ important stand alone. It might help to explain a important character in this series better.

Enjoy!

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CHAPTER 9

Gabe Lowen returned to his tidy workplace after spending less than an hour at the crime scene. When he first arrived there, the ADA became very annoyed with the officers who were surrounding the area. Sure, they were following standard protocol as they put up the yellow tape, took pictures, and told him that it was just like any other case out there as they had to wait in line for the medical examiner to review the body.

However, that was the problem: this case was not a normal case at all. Once he took a look at the body, the signs were there to indicate that this was another beast attack. Something he feared that would continue to happen.

The curly-haired man looked at the clock. It was only three o'clock in the afternoon. His special task force will have to come back in an hour to report today's findings. He was anxious about their reports. It could mean that there is another beast plaguing the city once again. And that beast was certainly Vincent Keller! He was sure of that as the only other beast that Gabe knows of, besides Vincent, can successfully control their abilities.

Ah yes, Curt Windsor, one of the first people to be injected with Muirfield's cross species DNA. A cunning business who donated countless amounts of money to the ruthless agency since its foundation, Windsor volunteered as a test dummy for the project. Although scientists viewed as a failure at the start as his DNA didn't change immediately, the millionaire's began to show signs of beast-like abilities over time.

He remembered when he first heard of Curt Windsor when living at that semi-fancy manor. As a beast-human child, Gabe overheard Dr. Chandler talking to one of agents about the businessman's horrible crimes. _"I can recall how her face became twisted and distraught whenever the agents mentioned that old fool's name,"_ Gabe assumed as he was sitting at his desk with his elbow propped on the top part and his fingers covered his mouth, _"It was later on when I was researching about other beasts that I learned that Curt Windsor had used his abilities to kill anyone who was opposed to him. He wiped out any competition by ripping his opponents' hearts straight out like it was child's play. The police back in the 80s and early 90s. when Windsor committed the majority of his crimes, were stunned and clueless about what happened to each victim. They also had limited resources and had to label each crime as a cold case. I remember those cases being brought up last spring when Joe Bishop and I rounded up the entire police department to search for Vincent."_

Gabe pondered on Curt Winsor a little more. He wondered what was the maniac billionaire was up to these days. _"I heard that once he finished his crime spree, he retreated back to his mansion and hid himself from the outside world. Only the board of directors from his company and any Muirfield agents might have a chance to meet with him at the mansion once in a blue moon. I also heard that he was able to find a wife or lover and they produced a daughter together. I wonder she knows about her father or lineage. Maybe I should pay a visit to old man Windsor to see if he isn't guilty of this new crime,"_ Gabe toyed with the idea a bit as he began to type Curt Windsor's name in the police database when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," the suave ADA commanded lightly as he looked up to see who was at his door. It opened briskly with the new captain stepping into the office. "Good afternoon, Mr. Loren," McIntyre warmly greeted, "I am here to see if there is any update to the investigation on that jogger's death." Gabe sighed, didn't he tell the whole police department that he would issue a statement before five o'clock today. It was too early for a report, even the team he sent out event didn't say a word yet about their findings.

Gabe replied, "Look, Captain. I know you are anxious about what my team has found. But, I told everyone, even the Chief of Police, that I will send a statement about what my team investigated today at five o'clock promptly. It's impossible to tell you or anyone else now because I have no information. Please Captain, with all due respects, can't you wait until that time?"

Brian McIntyre flashed an irritated look at the ADA._ "But, I want the information now,"_ he argued silently against Gabe's instructions, _"I have to know if it's the Beast's doing or not. The head of Muirfield is expecting me to tell him the answer quickly. He has been harassing me all day through phone calls, texts, and emails. Well, if you want play a game, Mr. Lowen. It's a game that we shall play."_ At that thought, the Captain's mood took a sudden turn as he had a big smile on his face. "You are right, Mr. Lowren, where are my manners. I shouldn't be so impatient about a delicate process. Just let me know when you are ready for the daily report. I am just dying to hear about it." McIntyre chuckled inwardly at that last pun.

"Of course, Captain. You will be the first one to hear about it," the black-haired man replied with an annoyed tone. He casually stood up from his chair and lead the temporary captain to the door, "If I have any questions or comments on this case that concerns you, I will let you know immediately. Oh, look at the time! Looks like it's time to call the taskforce to remind them to report to my office in thirty minutes time. If you excuse me, I would like to make that phone call in private." The two men exchanged smirks at each other as McIntyre exited the office with no hesitant.

As soon as the noisy Captain was out of sight, Gabe closed the door tightly and leaned against it, sighing heavily. It was the first day on the job for the new Captain and he was already starting to annoy the heck out of the middle-aged ADA. _"Why is he so desperate for the information of the dead jogger's case,"_ Gabe mused as he rolled his eyes and stared at the landline phone sitting on his desk, _"Hopefully, he wasn't like this at the other precinct. I specifically asked for someone like him because he was on the lead investigator for Special Crimes in Precinct 86. I remember briefly meeting him as he was a supporting detective for our beast manhunt last spring."_

Gabe continued to think a little bit more. He was trying to figure out McIntyre's true intentions. He secretly wished that any part of the Captain's plan didn't involve Muirfield or, more importantly, Catherine.

_Oh god_, if that guy ever lays a finger or has ill intentions towards that woman, Gabe would do everything in his power to seek revenge. But, what was "everything in his power"? He couldn't just instantly transformed into a beast anymore. He lost his abilities after he was rescued from the pits of Hell from a beautiful long-haired detective.

He remembered that night so vividly, like it happened yesterday.

_"Come on, work. Damn it!" was the first words he could barely recognized as Catherine yelled at the machine. She was trying to restart his heart by using a pair of manual defibrillator paddles. He noticed that there was some sort of mobile heart rate monitor attached to the skin around his heart. He could hear the machine started to pick up a pulse by indicating a sound._

_**Beep. Beep. Beep.**_

_The first thing that the black-haired man noticed was that the sudden beeps from the heart rate monitor broke though Cat's crazed conscious. "He is finally alive," he listened as the beautiful woman next to him exhaled as she put the paddles down and gingerly turned off the machine. She neatly packed the machine back into the box and unwinded by sitting down with her arms stretched out far from her body as her hands were firmly planted to the ground. That is how he noticed her when he cracked one of his eyes open and saw how exhausted she was._

_"Ca...th...er...ine?" he began to speak in a broken pitch as he was trying to regain his voice. Once he started to utter the woman's name, he noticed that his throat was bone dry and had a hard time gathering the energy to talk. It felt like forever since he used his voice as he didn't recognize it at first. "Oh god, how long was I unconscious?" he thought as he fully opened both eyes and turned his head weakly to look at Catherine. "Wa...ter," he begged in hush tones as he made eye contact with her._

_The middle-aged beauty jumped in shock at the sound of his voice. He was truly alive! But, she couldn't get too work up on the sudden revival of the guy who had threatened to kill her and take the heart of her beloved beast. Could she ever forgive him for that? _

_The last few hours were emotionally traumatizing for her, thanks in part to him. Nevertheless, she needed him now. He was the only person or beast that could find Vincent. She couldn't risk a failed relationship with him based on current animosities. _

_The detective__ threw the idea of ever forgiving Gabe for his transgressions to the back to her mind as she searched her purse for something to drink. "Oh shit, I didn't pack a water bottle this time," she chided quietly. She realized that there must be running water and a couple of cups to use in the manor's kitchen. Catherine stood up and started to run towards the kitchen, discreetly informing Gabe of her plans, "I will be right back. I am going to go to the kitchen and grab you a glass of water. Stay right there and **Hold. On. Tight.**" She emphasised the last part strongly as she hoped that he wouldn't use his self-healing ability quickly and run away from the scene._

_"I promise, I wouldn't" he promised as he closed his eyes as he was still tired from the lack of energy. He still couldn't believe that he was still alive! All thanks to the detective from Joe Bishop's precinct who loved another beast that he was going to kill for his cruel intentions. At this point, he did feel a little guilty for putting those two in a dangerous peril today. However, if he could have the heart of Vincent Keller, the black-haired man's wishes could come true finally; the ability to become human. Something he dreamed of since he learned from Dr. Vanessa Chandler that he was an experiment lab rat for Muirfield as they turned him into a ruthless creature. He wished that Catherine, of all people, would have compassion for what Muirfield did to him._

_Speaking of loved ones..._

_Oh god, Tyler! __He could recall her death clearly as she was killed instantly by several gunshots from a mysterious sniper while confronting Vincent and Catherine on their escape. He silently began to mourn her death as he tried to open his eyes to search for her body to the best of his ability. Tyler was one of the few people who understood and accepted for what he was. He also loved the way she tried to help him out by smuggling drugs from an unknown Muirfield office in the New York City area. She was really brave as Tyler risked her life, posing as a agent for the hellish organization in order to have him feel normal. He would recount the recent tales she told him at his apartment about the times that she narrowly escaped the office as higher ups began to suspect that she was a double agent. She was brilliant though, always keeping a poker face during the interrogations and successfully made Muirfield that she wasn't an actual double agent. Her candid bluffing always rescued her from death._

_"I have to find her body to give her a proper burial," Gabe thought as he cracked his eyes wide open once more as he tried to sit up with the low amount of energy he had. He felt a little dizzy but shook it off with the determination he now held. Haphazardly, he began to search for her rose petal scent throughout the front yard. He closed his eyes and pulled her scent from memory as he focused all the energy he held on searching for it. However, he couldn't find it! He tried harder and harder. It couldn't be hard right? Tyler always wore heavy perfume whether she headed outside. But, Gabe couldn't find it! Has it been too long since she died?_

_If the suave ADA couldn't find Tyler by his ability to smell from far away, then he had to come up with another way. He couldn't use his amazing hearing skills. And, he didn't possess the ability to see things from far away or like an X-ray, that superpower only belonged in the comic books that he loved to read as a child. Gabe guessed that he would have to do things the old-fashioned way._

_The olive-skinned ADA stood up gently, trying to ignore the fact that he was far too weak to stand. His knees were trembling as a sudden feeling to faint came over the ADA as he started to trudge towards the front door. the area he remembered that Tyler was murdered at. The man gathered all his attention to reaching his destination that he didn't notice Catherine came back from the kitchen with a glass of water and some bread and was standing behind, looking slightly pissed._

_"Didn't I fucking tell you to hold on tight and don't move? I haven't fully forgive you for what you done to me and Vincent. If it wasn't for your selfish intention of killing Vincent so you can have his goddamn organs, we probably wouldn't be in this predicament. Vincent and I would be enjoying a normal life somewhere far from here. You might be a beast but I can report you to the police for the crimes you committed tonight if you don't work with me. I might also pin your girlfriend's death on you," the hazel eyes detective declared as she angrily glared at Gabe's attempt of what she called escaping. He couldn't believe that this woman would use such dirty tactics to force him to compel to her will. It angered him! She wasn't allowed, with the right she had, to order him like that. Especially the threat of ruining his career._

_His blood began to boil with the seethering anger towards Catherine. Maybe he should turned into a beast to have her retract her words. The dark haired man scrunched up his face and rolled his fingers in a tight fist in order to make the transformation smoother. He waited for a couple minutes for the metamorphosis to happen and take over his body. However, it never happened! Claws never formed on his hands, his canines didn't become sharper, and he couldn't hear the snarls that ordinarily come out from his mouth. He lost the ability to transform into a beast? That was impossible! Unless..._

_"Are you trying to beast out in front of me to scare me?" Catherine asked in a slight intrigued tone, "You know that can't work thanks to always being around Vincent." He eased the muscles in his face and looked at her. "That is right," he mused, "It would be a failed attempt because she has gotten to Vincent and the things he can do as a beast. Nevertheless, the more important issue on hand here is the inability to transform into such creature. I don't understand unless something about being shot and then brought back to a life by electric shocks somehow turned me completely human". He grinned at the thought of being completely human, which left Cat confused while staring at him. His dream came true! He was fully human and he could lead a normal life with no secrets! If Tyler was here to celebrate his victory._

_Musing over his new found happiness, Gabe recalled that Catherine mentioned that he was going to use the ADA as his now-defunct beast abilities to find Vincent. Wait, what happened to Vincent? He scanned around the area to see if Vincent was nearby. But, it turned out to be fruitless; he couldn't see the tall, muscular ex-Army soldier anywhere. He whipped his head to Catherine's direction and asked in a surprised tone, "Wait, where is Vincent? Wasn't he here with you before I died?" All this energy he used to transform into a beast and search Vincent made him a bit lightheaded. He took a seat on the ground below him, waiting for the woman's answer._

_Catherine sighed at the sophisticated person's question, this is going to be a slightly long story she felt. She handed the guy the glass of water and bread as she began telling what happened, "So, you remember the helicopter with the blinding searchlight and unseen gunman?" Gabe nodded wordlessly as he began to nibble on the bread and drink the water. "Well," she continued, pausing a bit to think about the best way to describe to the frightful encounter, "After they shot you to death, they whipped out a net and captured Vincent while he was de-transforming. They then hoisted him up towards the helicopter and flew away. I believe they were Muirfield agents but I wasn't sure because the helicopter they used was unmarked and it was too bright to see anything. I need you help, although I currently hate your guts, to use your beast abilities to find Vincent. He is somewhere out there."_

_Gabe was flabbergasted at Catherine's story. Of course, he knew for a long time that Muirfield was looking to get their dirty little hands on Vincent. But, why did they want only him? Gabe was a beast too. Well, used to. Why did the savage organization wanted to kill him but capture Vincent? Something didn't add up. Though, he couldn't help her; he extremely positive that he wasn't a beast anymore. He should tell her before it's too late._

_"I am sorry to inform you," he started to inform her about his recent discovery with a serious face, "But I cannot help you on your little search. Thanks to the gunshots and electric shockwaves, I am fully human now. I lost all my beast abilities." He watched the tall brunette for her reaction to his new found revolution. Her expression was priceless as her eyes were as round as saucers and her mouth gaping open. Her only response was:_

_"What?"_


	10. Exploiting the Investigation

**Author's Note:** Thanks for continuing to read this story. I want to give a special shout out to **DenisefromNY**, **msolsun**, and **xpetti 4Bemer** for reviewing the last chapter. To answer xpetti 4Bemer's question, I don't know right now when this story will be finished. I have written over 20 chapters in my manuscript. But, even in my rough drafts, the story has yet to end. I hope that it can be finished before 2016 ends.

Nevertheless, here's Chapter 10! Enjoy! :D

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It didn't take long for the tall, hazel-eyed detective to make her way back to her workplace. Once on the road, Tess recalled about the strange "reunion" at J.T.'s apartment a few hours ago. The woman continued to wonder where Vincent went to. Also, what happened to him during his three months of being kidnapped.

She recalled his partial explanation of those few months:

_"I was always living in a cage that was the size of a partial bathroom. I rarely got out but ate at least three square meals everyday. I recall that a different set of scientists came to run various tests on me almost daily," the bass voice spoke._

Tess knew it was really him based on J.T.'s and Cat's explanation of Vincent's dreaded past. Once the former Army soldier mentioned that he was living in a cruel confinement and being tested on, she wondered if it was really Muirfield who was behind this. Sure, J.T. and Cat would immediately jump to the conclusion that it was indeed them. But, would a once highly-classified government project really be that cruel to any living being?

The brunette just shrugged the idea off once she reached the parking lot. Sure, she could spend all day theorizing on what happened. However, she didn't know much of the agency as she didn't really have a chance to come face to face with Muirfield.

_"You know what, I just let J.T. handle anything Muirfield. I am going to leave that mess to him,_" she decided as she put her car in park and turned off the engine. She had too much on her plate right now.

The detective continued to debate on the matter while walking into the building. Her mind floated to random musings on Gabe Lowen. She couldn't decide if whether or not she could trust the suave ADA after all the things he put her ex-lover, herself, and even her best friend though. Sure, this guy looks like a refined man with an extensive knowledge about various topics, chiseled features, and soft, curly locks of hair. However, she couldn't imagine that his inside was completely different from his outside! He displayed an ugly character during the manhunt for the so-called lethal beast. She remember that Joe and Cat would always tell her how deranged and callous was the ADA, using his dirty tactics to get whatever he wanted.

Tess walked into the elevator with her mouth pointed upwards and cheeks puffed out. The doors closed after she indicated what floor she wanted to travel to, leaving herself alone in the car.

_Oh, well! I didn't really do much investigating today. I am hoping someone is going to save my ass with their in depth sleuthing_, Tess thought. A few moments later, the car's bells pinged powerfully to indict that she arrived on her intended floor. The doors opened and the tall woman started to briefly travel on foot to the supposed meeting place.

* * *

She reached the door to Gabe's office after a few minutes. The tall woman opened it gingerly to see that numerous personnel were standing in front of Gabe's desk with the suave district attorney perching on his desk chair. Tess recognized some of the people in the crowd: the new Captain McIntyre, the teammates she was suppose to work with, and a few higher-ups that she bumped into last spring. There were a few people she couldn't recognize. However, it didn't bother her because it wasn't like she was aiming to remember who these people were for future job recommendations. _**Pfft!**_

The darkened eyes of Gabe Lowen shot up at the sound of Tess' entrance. "_Well, well, well._ Look what the cat dragged in," he smirked with the tone of his voice dripping in sarcasm, "I am disappointed in you, Ms. Vargas, as you are late to a _mandatory_ meeting." Tess shot back a glare as she tried to explain to him the reason of her tardiness, "Welllllll, traffic on the way back was horrid. You know how three o'clock rush hour is in New York City!" The hazel-eyed woman went to the center of the room where Lisa Reyes, Luke Conrad, and Fred Downer were standing. The other members of her team whipped their heads around and looked at her if she was crazy. At least the three of them were able to make it to precinct on time.

The ADA continued, "I don't know the full details because I wasn't there. Starting from tomorrow, anyone involved in this investigation will share one unmarked squad car. Is that understandable?" The four detectives nodded their head in silence to agree to Gabe's new mandate.

"Excuse me, ADA Lowren, but can you fill us in about this investigation you are leading? I haven't gotten much information apart from the handful of emails and a voicemail inviting me to this closed-door briefing," a voice piped up from the back of the room. It was one of the captains representing a different precinct. Gabe genuinely smiled at the question and began explaining, "Thank you Captain Polanski for that wonderful question. If you haven't notice what is being said on the news lately, I have gather you for this briefing due to a jogger being murdered last night between the times of midnight and six o'clock in the morning. This isn't a normal homicide as the victim showed signs that she was attacked by an animal-like creature. I let my detectives further explain about what they found."

As soon as he finished, another person inquired about the case straight away, "Is this related to that man-beast case that happened last spring?" Gabe looked at the crowd in front of him with an intense gaze as he answered, "It is too soon to rule that this is another beast incident. I was briefly at the crime scene this morning and based on what I saw, I would say most likely it could be another beast attack." Several light gasps filled the room as people, except for Gabe and the four detectives involved with the investigation, widen their eyes in shock and slight horror. Feeling the sudden anxiety fill the room, the suave dark-haired man reassured by saying, "Like I said, this is the beginning of the investigation. The crime only happened last night. I will have my team report on the incident daily and wait for further medical reports.

I have chosen all of you from the countless agencies and precincts from the New York City area for meticulous intentions. For some, I picked them because of their superior involvement with the beast that was on the police department's radar since the beginning of this year. Even though we had to forfeit the operation due to a ex-Captain's manic obsession with revenge clouding his better judgement, we still had a excellent team from different skill levels and departments. For others, I selected them because of their incredible work ethics and tactics based on the comments on their profiles. These people were able to solve the toughest crime by using their networks, resources, and, most importantly, their vast knowledge. I couldn't have more confidence in a team than the ones who are in this room." He glanced at Tess with a sincere look while saying the last sentence. This gave the darked-haired woman chills running down her back. _Such a creep sometimes_, she thought as she gave him a small smile.

"However," he continued, "I have also chosen you all because I know from various sources that you can keep a secret. I am hoping everyone here can do so with this case or any future cases that pertain similar details. I don't want to cause a widespread panic among the public if they get any information. Judging on what I and the other four detectives that were on the scene today witnessed, anyone could easily think this incident is related to the beast. And, we don't want that. If there is a public mayhem with this case, things will get out of hand. I learned my lesson from past mistakes on previous cases. All I want now is to take time in presenting anything to public.

If I find _**anyone**_ sharing information to anyone, including other, non-involved agencies or co-workers, newspapers or tabloids, or _**even**_ the mayor's office, you will be off the case immediately. I will have you either working desk duty, deranked, or possibly suspended for an uncertain length of time. I will also further let your future bosses and co-workers know how you failed to keep my promise and broke trust by writing those details on your profile. This case is too important for anyone to leak information. **Keep. It. A. Secret.** Do you understand?"

This statement made Gabe's blood boil a little because he had trust issues before and didn't want it to happen again. He glared at the audience before him as they nodded an agreement to his rules.

"Thank you for your understanding," he sternly spoke, "Now, let's take the short time we have to hear the reports from those who were on the scene today. Please hold off with any questions or assumptions until after the whole team has reported. Thank you for cooperation.

How about we start with Detective Tess Vargas; what do you have to report?"

The woman in question narrowed her eyes in half-shock and half-anger. _He is doing this on purpose_, she chided as she began to dig out her notes that were placed neatly in her small vinyl work bag. She turned to the page where she started jotting down notes about the murder. The long-haired woman first read them to herself silently to get a sense of what she wrote down. After a few seconds, she began to report, "Let's see. Since many of you here today are not familiar with the crime scene we dealt with, let me talk about the basic details. The murder occurred, like Gabe said, between midnight to six o'clock this morning based on primary investigations on the characteristics of the blood, which direction the blood flow, and the present of the early stages of regis mortem. There was still some flesh blood around the body by the time we arrived around ten this morning."

Tess quickly looked at her notes and panicked, _"What else can I say? Should I just read straight from the book?"_ After a brief pause, the woman detective resumed, "I presumed that a young woman was jogging in the park during either her morning or evening routines. It looks like whatever attacked her was an animal or a thing. However, it is too soon to jump to conclusions as the body is badly mangled and hard to identify. Won't be surprised if whatever attacked her hit a vital organ, killing her instantly or letting her bleed out." Tess sighed once finishing off reading her notes, she hoped it was enough to please everyone there including the man in charge. The woman hoped that he wasn't expecting a lot from her in terms of investigation quality.

"That is all I have for my side of the investigation. I wonder if anyone else has anything to report," Tess turned her head to look at the other detectives, pleading silently that someone else would take the reins. She guessed someone took the hint as the auburn-haired Hispanic detective with big curls started to ramble off her discoveries, "Thanks Detective Vargas for her report. Like Detective Vargas said, we all got to the park about ten this morning to discover that there was a decreased young woman in her late teens or early 20s. We yet to know her identity as she didn't carry any form of identification on her. The only thing she brought was her music player and a set of keys. Based on the minimal amount of valuables she carried, I am guessing that she was experienced jogger and this was part of her daily routine. Or, another possibility is that she was carrying a lot more, including maybe a wallet, and she was robbed and murdered."

"That's right, Detective Reyes," an older detective named Frank Downer interrupted, hoping to get a piece of the action, "As soon as we were allowed access to the crime scene, we started to take as many pictures as we could. Conrad, Reyes, and I have compiled our collection and were able to make a slideshow in the short time we had. Detective Reyes, could you get the lights? ADA Lowren, could you start the slideshow?" The mega curls woman slithered up to the back of the room and turned off the lights at the white-haired man's command. Once the room became black, ADA Gabe Lowen bent down to his computer and tapped on a single key and checking if the bluetooth connectivity between his computer and the department's fairly new projectors was working. After a short wait, one of the first investigation photos appeared on a big projector screen behind him.

"As you can see that there are multiple marks all over her body. The main areas were her torso, her upper right breast area, her face, and the left upper calf," the older detective started to explain about the photos, "The marks look like they came from claws from some sort of animal. One of the most significant wounds on her body was a set of three good-size puncture holes near the left chamber of her heart. When I say "good-size", each hole was about an inch wide, like someone stabbed her with a very sharp golf tee. We don't know the depth of each incision as we didn't carry any sophisticated tools to measure. We are hoping that the medical examiner can clear some time off his busy schedule to look at the body." Gabe sniggered silently at that last comment, he had the same problem earlier this morning.

The senior detective continued, "Those puncture wounds looks like they possible came from the same animal claws. We suspect that whatever stabbed the suspect was the main culprit for her murder. We are theorizing that she died from a rupture critical vein and she could of bled out, dying slowly. Odd thing is that there were no bite marks anywhere, leaving out the possibility that the so-called "animal" killed her to nourish itself. There were only claw-like marks." Frank Downer flipped through the slides, briefly pausing to let the audience take in the details slowly. Another voice, presuming belonging to scrawny Luke Conrad, spoke up, "As you can see from the pictures, there seems to be a dark crimson-like stain on the sidewalk. It is hard to tell unless you look up close as all the paths in the park are made with asphalt. However, we found an ample amount of dry and semi-wet blood around her body. It is impossible to precisely measure how much blood she lost. It seemed there was a lot. The crime scene investigator team spent about two hours gathering any blood evidence."

The slideshow came to an end a few moments after Conrad's comments. He signaled to the back to turn on the lights as he regained his standing position between Downer and Vargas. Gabe turned off the projector by bending down and pushed a button on the side panel. Once it was fully off, Gabe stood up and spoke, "Thank you for the photos. As much as we find these graphic photos disturbing and disgusting, they are beneficial to this case with the small details they carry. Vargas, Conrad, Downer, and Reyes, I extend my gratitude to you guys for working hard on the first day to gather useful evidence. Is there anything else you like to share about what you found?" The four detectives shook their heads silently to indict a no. "Great," he continued as he peered at the others in the room, "I would like to open the floor for any questions. Yes, Captain Ramirez from Precinct 36."

Tess didn't pay attention to the questions being asked. Instead, she thought back to the pictures shown earlier on the big projector screen and the statements made by Detectives Conrad and Downer. Once they mentioned something about claw marks and puncture wounds, her mind went back to the events of last spring as a lot of murder victims had similar wounds on their bodies. Her mind immediately suspected that it was Vincent's doing. There wasn't anyone else that she knew who had sharp claws. Unless, Gabe knew of other beasts in the city._ Impossible!_ Tess thought that Muirfield had most of their experiments killed off. There couldn't be other beasts roaming around the city, even around the world! It wasn't possible, right?

The mentioning of the puncture holes were an intriguing part of the investigation. Based on J.T.'s past reports on his best friend, Vincent never killed innocent people. And if he killed someone, his methodology didn't include leaving puncture marks on any part of the victim's body. It was more like deep scratch marks on either the chest or the stomach area. She remembered she saw that kind of wounds on Vincent's victims when she had to investigate mysterious murders last year. At that moment, she concluded that it can't be Vincent, it was not his style to kill someone like that.

Before she knew it, her mind snapped back to reality as the long-haired woman saw that people were starting to file out from the good-size office. _Was I completely in a daze?_ Tess pondered as she began to collect her stuff. As she turned to walk out, a voice coming from behind stopped her in her tracks.

"Detective Vargas, would I like a word with you**_ alone_**?"


	11. Unexpected Encounter

**Author's Note:** I want to thank the people who read the last chapter and are continuing to support this story. It really means a lot to me!

A lot of people are wondering when will Vincent and Catherine come face-to-face. I can't specifically say what chapter but it is coming up! Although, she does encounter an unexpected person in this chapter that has been crucial in the TV series and will be in this story.

Enjoy reading! :D

* * *

Catherine wasn't enjoying the investigation one bit. _Why_ was she picked to go alongside with a member of the Special Victims Unit to investigate about some serial rapist? It might've sounded interesting to other detectives. But for her, it wasn't her cup of tea. What she wanted was more than this. Something with mystery and was caused by unusual suspects. Of course, she wasn't going to chase ghosts in the New York City area like the fictional paranormal group called the Ghostbusters did. Last she knew, the city currently doesn't have a problem with ghosts and unwanted paranormal. However, the city did have two bigger problems: mysterious murders and beasts.

The petite beauty was currently sitting in a car, looking at her phone while her partner on this case was looking into this serial rapist case. She still didn't get why she was given a random assignment? Didn't someone know she worked for "special crimes", not "special victims unit"? They are _**completely**_ two different departments. This must be a trap or a ruse to get her off the beaten path. What recently reported crime did they not want her to solve?

She looked at her phone once more, eyeing through the online app for _The New York Times_. There were reports this morning on the newspaper's site and morning new shows that there was an incident in her precinct.

_Where was it again?_

Oh that's right, it was in Riverside Park! There wasn't a lot of information as the news reports claimed that the investigation was still ongoing. But, she did hear a report that animal-like claw marks were found all over the victim's body.

Animal-like claw marks? That reminds her of one person: **Vincent**! The possibility that he could be alive gave her chills. She was happy that he was alive somewhere in the city. But, was he a changed man or creature? This renewed the bold detective's quest for a chance to find him so she would know he was finally alive but, most importantly, to solve the mystery of his disappearance.

She mindlessly flipped through other apps and websites concerning the attack. If they didn't want her on the investigation, then she would do it herself! She _**had**_ to find out if the suspect was Vincent or not!

Cat glanced out of the car's front glass to see how her partner was doing. By the looks of things, he was still interviewing a possible witness since he didn't seem to be anywhere nearby. However, in that moment of looking for him, something caught her attention; a somewhat tall woman with dark red hair instantly appeared in front of her car, crotched in an unusual position. It was when the woman turned her head that Cat was able to see her face, sensing that something was different about this figure.

_That snare, those yellow eyes, the elongated incisors_, Cat whispered as her thoughts ran wild, _She is a beast!_ With that realization, the pint-sized detective got out her phone and started to take photos quietly, hoping not to disturb the creature. After taking a decent amount, the brunette unbuckled her seat belt swiftly and open the car door.

At the same moment, the redhead noticed that she had gained an audience as she tried to run away with swift movements. Cat took notice and chased after the beast-like woman with all the power her legs could give her.

The taller woman lead Cat on a wild goose chase as they sped through a handful of narrow alleys, trampling on a variety of sidewalks, and even speeding through a park or two. The chase must of lasted about ten to fifteen minutes but Cat couldn't tell exactly. She was trying her best to nab this beast-human. Maybe this person or thing knew about Vincent and could tell her about his whereabouts. The thought of seeing Vincent again gave her little boost as she ran a little faster.

However, those thoughts could only propel Catherine to go to a certain distance. Once they ran across the entrance of an apartment building, the redhead decided abruptly to scale up a fire escape that was located on the east side of the building. She climbed those stairs like a pro, using her superhuman strength to push herself to the top. This left Cat, who was feeling a bit fatigue from the sudden boost, to ascend the stairs in an unhurried matter. But by the time the detective reached the one-third mark, the beast-like woman was already on the top and beginning to jump off rooftops, disappearing to unknown locations. This left a fatigued Cat stunned as she began cursing herself.

_That woman escaped,_ the petit detective chided, _Atleast I took pictures of her. I have to find out who she is. She might know where Vincent is._ She sighed as she sat down on a step with her eyes closed. The much-needed rest didn't last long as her cell phone began to ring. She opened her eyes and picked up the device. _Drats_, it was her partner that she was supposed to work with. She pressed the talk button, "Hey, I am coming back to the car shortly. Sorry, when I was waiting in the car, I thought I saw a possible suspect in our serial rape case. I know it sounds absurd but I had a hunch since he matched the suspect's profile. So, I chased down that person down until he gave up running and answered my questions. Apparently, the man I questioned didn't know about the crimes as he isn't from this area and was visiting his brother who lived in the same apartment building that our witness was living in. He said he was at his home in Pennsylvania during last night's attack. He was willing to provide a phone number and his name if we have any further questions. Let me come back to give you the information. I see you in a bit." With that, she pressed the hang-up button on her phone and drew a heavy sigh.

After a few minutes resting on the stairwell, Cat stood up and started to walk in the direction of her partner's car. While walking, the petite lady looked through her friend's list on her phone and pushed the call button next to one of those names. She pressed the phone to an ear and waited through the dialing tone. Once she heard someone picked up the phone she started to speak.

"Hello, J.T. It's me Cat! Hey, I don't know if you are busy or not. But, if you have anytime, let's meet up. I have something I want to show you that might relate on Vincent and beasts."


	12. A Frosty Reunion

**Author's Note: **Hey guys, here is another chapter! Originally, this chapter and the next chapter were written as two chapters. However, it was pretty long (over 6,000 words) and I decided to cut the long chapter in half. So, I am very sorry for the awkward ending for this chapter as it directly leads into the next one.

Thank you for the lovely reviews and new subscribers! I love you all! 3

Enjoy! :D

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_Previously on "Indomitable Hope"_

_Tess pondered as she began to collect her stuff. As she turned to walk out, a voice coming from behind stopped her in her tracks._

_"Detective Vargas, would I like a word with you** alone**?"_

* * *

_**Holy shit**, what did he want with her this time._

Tess fumed silently as she turned to face the well-to-do man standing behind a big oak desk. She displayed a slightly angry look on her face as the others filed out from the room. Tess didn't want to spend any more time with this guy as her time was currently occupied on the other secret, on-the-side investigation. She wasn't hoping that he was going to question her about that or the fact that her reporting on today's investigation was inadequate compared to the others.

Whatever methods he would try to use in order to coax the truth from her, she wouldn't falter. She couldn't trust him completely yet.

Gabe circled around his desk as the big-shot ADA came close to her, staring into her eyes to see if the sassy detective was hiding something. As the tall woman felt frightened and intimidated from the good-looking ADA, Gabe headed towards the front section of his office to close the door. During the process, he began to speak, "Thank you for staying behind, I need to chat with you. You might be wondering why I didn't ask the others on your team to stay back. They don't really know the ins and outs of these beasts like you and your friends do. That is why I am displeased that you didn't have a lot to say about the case today. However, as you were concluding your report on the case, I began to wonder if you were leaving out any other evidence. Like, you saw something but you didn't want to speak about it because it was too confidential to report to complete strangers. However, it's just you and me now. You can tell me anything. _**Please**_ trust me. I know it is hard to do since I haven't acted gracious towards you, Cat, and Vincent. But, I **really** want to prove that I am a changed man."

His words seemed sincere as if he was talking from his heart. The ADA wanted to tell everyone that he is a changed man and didn't want to be the villain of story anymore. If Tess could be the first person to trust him, then maybe he would be on Cat's good side. And hopefully one day, he would earn the respect and be accepted from by J.T..

Gabe remembered encountering the man several times before, first meeting him when J.T. held Gabe's now dead girlfriend for hostage so Gabe could release the nerdy professor's best friend. However, that deal didn't come into fruition as now both parties' hostages are either dead or missing.

However, Gabe remembered the last encounter with the almost bald-headed university professor. It wasn't the best memory in recent history.

_The petite brunette pulled up to an apartment building. While they were "enjoying" their car trip to the place, Catherine declared that he was her prisoner for a short time until when she could believe or disbelieve his story, if he wasn't a beast anymore. The now helpless ADA nodded silently as he stared through the passenger's window to look at the changing scenery. He noticed the sun was coming up, making it easier to determine where they were at._

_He wanted to tell her that he wasn't crazy, that he was really telling the truth. But, he knew that Catherine wouldn't believe him so easily, It was best to keep quiet about the situation for the the time being. _

_The black-haired man remembered a quote that he read when he was held in captivity when he was younger. It was from the book "Emily's Quest" by L.M. Montgomery, which went: ""Never be silent with persons you love and distrust... Silence betrays."" He thought back to the quote and sighed, maybe making **some** small talk right now might help to restore the broken relationship._

_"Hey, I want to say thanks again for saving my life," Gabe started off, not sure on what he wanted to really say, "I know we had a rocky relationship before but let's try to restart, shall we? Let's see, I don't know much about you. What is your favorite TV show?" He turned his head a little and smirked in her direction, hoping that she would pick up on his hope for a chat. But of course, being as stubborn as she was, Catherine just kept her eyes glued on the road in front of them with an emotionless face. The only thing she said was, "I am still not talking to you. I don't know when I can. You simply can't be trusted. If I was you, you should be quiet." He took her advice; he stayed quiet for the rest of the trip._

_Cat was the first one to leave the car after the engine was turned off. She went around the front part of the car to let the petite man out. But, Gabe didn't think twice to try to escape. In fact, his hands were far away from the door's handle and he decided that they were going to stay like that until she said so._

_He feared Catherine now. He never really feared anyone before as he was the one who had the power as an ADA. He also had the upperhand when he had all his abilities as a beast. However, the handsome ADA was powerless now; he wasn't at his office where he could bark orders at anyone, including Catherine, and now he was a normal human being. The gorgeous woman standing next to the door held the authority now._

_Catherine unlocked his side of the door with the automatic lock button on her keys. The long-haired woman opened it slowly and put her hand infront him silently to signal not to move. He obeyed as he looked up at the woman, waiting patiently for the next command. She started to instruct him with a strict, pissed off tone, "Since I don't know what you are capable of, I am going to handcuff you to me so you can stay by my side until we reach J.T.'s apartment. You better not beast out or I **WILL** find you and recapture you. You may be an ADA and a beast. But, you are my prisoner now and you going to adhere to my commands at **ALL** times. Do you understand?" He nodded numbly as she began to put on one of the cuffs on his left wrist. He had to comply with her every wish until he was set free. Until then..._

_Catherine placed the other cuff on her right wrist, using the other hand to signal in a few motions to stand up, close the door, and follow closely behind her. He did what she asked as Gabe kept close to the woman and began walking to the entrance. It didn't take long to wait for an elevator car nor the ride up. Before he knew it, they were in front of the scientist's apartment. Catherine pulled out her copy of the apartment key and slowly unlocked the door._

_"J.T.! J.T.! Where are you?" Catherine shouted while entering with __Gabe through an apartment sparsely decorated with furniture and personal things. __The ruthless assistant district attorney winced as he took a glance at his surrounding. __Gabe was reminded of how they got into this predicament in the first place. It was his fault as the ADA ordered a special squad of police officers to destroy the abandoned warehouse that J.T. and Vincent used to occupy. _

_However, he did feel guilty about it now but not wholeheartedly. He wasn't too selfish and too evil. He did what he needed to get done. He stuck by one of his many philosophies: If people were getting in the way, he had to get rid of them somehow._

_The woman whom he was handcuffed to was continuing to search for Vincent's best friend. They moved around the apartment until the curly-haired man felt something hard blocking his feet's quest to move forward. He peered down and noticed that it was J.T. who was passed out. He turned to Catherine with shock in his eyes, uttering, "I think I found J.T. Look down towards my way." Catherine did so as she gasped when she saw the pudgy man unconscious._

_"Oh my god, J.T.! What happened to you?" she frantically asked as the long-haired woman bent down to check J.T.'s pulse, yanking the man she was handcuffed to with her. "Ow, I wish you would be a little more gentle next time," Gabe responded as his wrist was throbbing with pain. The petite woman ignored him as she tried waking up the unconscious man by shaking and hitting him gently, "Come on J.T., wake up. I need you. Something happened to Vincent." _

_Catherine almost gave up as she stopped her attempts and tilted her head down, thinking about the next step and worrying about J.T. at the same time. H__er face was scrunched up as a bunch of feelings ran through her mind and body. Grief. Anger. Confusion. The detective couldn't take it anymore._

_As she was trying to focus her incoherent thoughts, a soft groan came out from the man lying on the floor. The black-haired assistant district attorney used his free hand to tap the disheartened woman's shoulders softly, whispering, "Hey Catherine, look." He pointed with his index finger at J.T. at the same height as her eye level, hoping that she could take the hint._

_And, she did. _

_Catherine lifted her head to see what was going on at the same when J.T.'s eyes fluttered open. She gasped, "J.T. you are alive! Oh my god, what happened? Are you alright?" _

_J.T. moaned in response, trying to keep his eyes open for a long period of time. Vincent's best friend quickly adjusted his eyes to the light, replying to Cat's questions, "I think I am ok. I just got knocked out by that bitch named Tyler. Where is she?"_

_"She is gone, J.T. Actually, she is now dead. There is a lot to talk about since you were unconscious for a good part of the action. Can you sit up?" the brunette questioned as she offered a hand to help him. J.T. looked over at Cat's hand and placed one in hers, using it as a support as he tried to sit up. Once he was successful, he blinked several times to get rid of the dizziness and lightheaded feeling that overwhelmed him for a moment. He slipped his hand out from the detective's and looked down at her other arm. He noticed that she was handcuffed to something as his eyes followed the chains to another arm that didn't belong to the lovely woman next to him. The pudgy science professor looked up and gasped, it was Gabe Lowen, that son of a bitch who tried to capture Vincent._

_"What the hell is he doing here? What happened to Vincent?" He angrily asked in a harsh tone. Catherine soothed his anger by recounting her earlier words, "Like I said, it's a difficult story. How about before I tell you, I get you on the couch and get you something to eat and drink. You must be starving." J.T nodded silently; she was right as he was pretty hungry. Catherine glanced at Gabe's hand and back to her hand, telling him to stick his hand out like hers. "I know you don't have one ounce of trust towards this guy. But, don't worry, I have him under my control. Just take his hand as we can help guide you to the sofa. Gabe, no funny stuff or else." The handcuffed man just nodded quietly with a slightly bowed head as J.T. watched the interaction between the two._

_J.T wasn't sure if he could trust this guy. What happens if Gabe decided to beast out right in front of them? What could he possible do? Nevertheless, it looks like Catherine had Gabe under her thumb as the assistant district attorney seemed intimidated by the detective's words. The science professor decided to trust Catherine, since she was somewhat right most of the time, and placed a hand each on the two palms sticking out. He grabbed onto the hands, signalling that he was ready to stand up. Gabe and Catherine helped him up slowly and guided him to the lush white couch. Once they stood next to the cushions, they gently sat together._

_"Is there anything you like to eat or drink? I would advise you not to drink any beer due to your condition," Cat stated as she took out a set of small keys from the left pocket of her lightweight fall jacket. She then unlocked her the handcuffs for a brief moment, staring at Gabe to warn him wordlessly to not to escape as she placed her cuff on J.T.'s right wrist. Once on, she re-locked the cuffs and gingerly put the keys back in the same jacket. "Not particularly. Hey wait, why did you handcuff him to me? I don't want anything to do with this guy. Catherine, what happens if he beasts out?" J.T. asked in a worried tone as he had his eyes __repeatedly __go back and forth from the handcuffs to Catherine. Catherine just playfully laughed at his anxiety. "Don't worry, J.T. He wouldn't be to beast out if he is telling me the truth," Catherine spoke with a bitter tone at the end of the statement, "Besides, I am just going to be not even a yard away from you in the kitchen. I still can watch you and see if something really does happen." At that, the midsize woman left to fix something up for J.T.._

_I wonder if I will get any food, Gabe mused as he stared at his new partner. "Hey J.T., nice to see you again. I hope you are feeling better. You seem to be fine on the outside. How you are feeling inside?" The pudgy man just gruffed at the other man's willingness to try to communicate despite their differences. J.T. just displayed the "I don't want to talk to you right now, don't bother me" look. _

_T__he two man sat in silence, watching the long-haired woman fixing up some food._


	13. A Speck of Hope in Disappointment

**Author's Note: **Hey guys, here is another chapter! Yes,my lovely readers get two chapters in one day! I actually had a real two day weekend as Monday was a public holiday here in Japan, which gave me more time to edit more chapters and explore Netflix. I recently got Netflix and I am addicted! I can't stop watching all the shows and movies.

Also, this story has passed the 4,000 views milestone! Wahoo! I want to thank all those have read "Indomitable Hope", from the ones who faithfully read every chapter to the ones who just skim a small section of one chapter. I love you all! :D

This chapter continues from the last chapter as Catherine and Gabe just arrived at J.T.'s new apartment. Some readers might cause a riot at the end of this chapter because I am going to take a relationship to a new level, just like the show did in the second season. But, I am going to go down a different path because even though this character is one of the anti-heroes of the story, I feel like he is a genuinely kind-hearted and good guy who had a lousy past and was caught up with bad intentions.

Nevertheless, enjoy! :D

* * *

_Time went on slowly as minutes passed by without a single word being said by the three people in the apartment. However, the silence ended when Catherine brought a tray full of sandwiches and cups filled with hot herbal tea. She looked at the two men as the beauty announced, "Here you guys are! Enjoy! Yes, I even made some for Gabe to enjoy. I don't want you to be hungry or parched. I am not **THAT** cruel, unlike some people I **know**." The two men grabbed the sandwiches with their free, un-cuffed hands and began to devoured the sandwiches in one gulp. They also drank the tea in a hurry. _

_"Thanks for the food, Cat. Now you promised a story. What happened to Vincent? What went on in the manor? And what is up with this guy?" J.T. inquired, finishing up his cup of tea. There was no way of hiding from the truth as it was time for Catherine to tell him the truth of what happened last night. She tensed up a little bit, trying to find the right words to answer J.T.'s questions._

_"Before I start, let me get that handcuff off of you. It looks like you don't enjoy the company of my co-workers," she light heartedly joked as she removed the keys from her pocket once more and unlocked the cuffs. "I just hate ones who are snakes," J.T. vehemently replied as he looked at the guy next to him an annoyed look. Catherine pondered at the dilemma of what to do with Gabe now, she couldn't let him go freely without binding him to something to limit his movement. She kept on thinking while scanning around the apartment to see where was a perfect place to put her prisoner._

_She got an idea!_

_She yanked the mousy-haired ADA off the couch to make him follow her to one of the apartment's cement supports. Just perfect, the petit detective thought as she cuffed the support with the empty handcuff and closed it. _

_If he says he isn't a beast anymore, Catherine thought, he cannot break free. If he is, then we are in big trouble. Oh well, I am just going to trust him that he will not harm us. _

_The brunette gave him the look of "Don't move or I **will** kill you" before heading back to the couch to sit down and tell her story._

_"Well you see," Catherine started as she looked at her now-sweaty palms, "This isn't an easy story to tell. But, to make it simple, Vincent is gone. He was kidnapped at the manor." She looked up to see how would Vincent's best friend would respond to her revelation. His reaction was one full of shock as she could read the expression of "Wait, how? By whom?" well on his face. _

_She continued on, "I know what you are thinking. You are wondering who did this and how did it happened. Let me explain without any interruptions. _

_You see, once Vincent freed me from Gabe, we ran outside while being chased by him and his girlfriend. Gabe and Vincent beasted out and started to fight each other. That is when a bright searchlight landed straight on the location where we gathered at. All the sudden, out of nowhere, Tyler was shot at point blank and was instantly killed." Gabe lowered his head and grimaced at the sorrow he was feeling when the woman detective told J.T. about his girlfriend's death._

_Unfazed by the former beast's display of emotions, Catherine kept on talking, "They also shot Gabe a bunch of times, trying to kill him. As I ran to see if Vincent was ok, a large fishing net was lowered and captured him. I couldn't make out who was controlling the net because of the bright lights that made it hard to recognize the shadowy figures above. Also, there were loud noises coming from the helicopter that made it difficult to hear the figures' voices. However, once they began to lift him up, I held onto his hand tightly in an effort to hold him back. I failed as I was outnumbered by a group of would-be Murifield agents. I held onto him until the last moment, until he couldn't even hold onto my index finger anymore." She rubbed the hand that once held her lover's as she remember the feelings and memories that came from that specific touch._

_"They successfully got him into the helicopter and flew off a minute or two after. I was too stunned to speak. Too shocked as I realized that he was gone too soon. Too confused to know what to do next. I must of stared into the black sky for a long time._

_I came to my senses some time later as I told myself that I had to find Vincent. I thought Gabe was the best person to help me, so I revived him by using a defibrillator. _

_However J.T., I don't know how or what happened. Once I resurrected Gabe from the dead, he claimed that he wasn't a beast anymore. I don't know if it's really the truth or not," Catherine finished up her story with a side glance at Gabe, "I need you to run whatever tests you can conduct to determine if Gabe is right. If he's a goddamn liar... I don't what I will do... J.T.! Oh, I lost him again..." Catherine began to break down the wall of void emotions as she began to shed tears and her face displaying an emotion of deep sadness. Gabe was awestruck at the raw emotions that Cat was displaying; she actually cared for Vincent. Just like Tyler did for him._

_J.T stood up as he began to paced back and forth behind the couch. He couldn't believe Cat's story with the possibility that his best friend was kidnapped by "Murifield" agents. J.T. sighed as he walked towards one of the windows near the kitchen, peering out at the scene of busy everyday life happening on the streets below. How he wished that he could return to that life before where it was just him and Vincent hanging out in secret at the now-burnt out abandoned factory just on the outskirts of the city. He couldn't blame Catherine, Gabe, or anyone in fact because he was tired of laying the blame of the destruction surrounding his life on someone else. He was too exhausted to fight this alone anymore._

_After a while, the pudgy man started to speak, "Sorry, all of this comes as a defeat. Muirfield won, they got Vincent!" The long-haired detective's eyes popped up as she thought J.T. was going to give up, he was going to wave the white flag because Muirfield finally got their prize. She walked vigorously next to him and looked __intensely__ into his eyes, informing him, "Look buddy, though we let Muirfield get away with Vincent, we still can get him. Even if I want to wave the white flag now and return to normal everyday life, we can't give up now. We have to find a new way of outsmarting Muirfield next time. But, for now, let's try to get Vincent back. All I am asking at the current moment to test Gabe to see if he is still a beast or not. If he is, yay for us to have another resource to help. But, if he isn't, we can't lower our heads and give up. We have to find a new way. **Don't. Give. Up. Please**."_

_Catherine's tone that was full of anger and power shook J.T. out from the funk he was feeling. She was right, they couldn't give up right now. They been through difficult situations before, this one was not anything different. The almost bald-haired man rubbed his face to get rid of any negative emotions that were lingering and look up to inform them of her decision, "Ok, ok. For Vincent's and your sake, I will run the tests even though I hate this son of bitch. Let's do this for Vincent."_

Gabe continued to think back to the time when he was first introduced to J.T.'s apartment as Tess was explaining about how she did a goddamn poor job on today's investigation. He recalled that J.T. did, in fact, run those test which certainly told them that Gabe wasn't lying, he wasn't a beast anymore. He was just a plain John Doe now.

However, the dark-haired ADA couldn't shake off the look Catherine held once she discovered that Gabe couldn't help her with the search. She was so heartbroken and sadden by the fact that her hopes to find Vincent were shattered. Even though she gave a pep talk to J.T. of not giving up once before, it looked like at that very moment she would need one as Gabe remembered that she looked so defeated.

_He smoothly walked up next to Catherine as she was standing on the balcony with her face in her heads, looking distraught. The suave assistant district attorney began to speak up, hoping that she would listen to his words of encouragement, "I know that we aren't the best of friends. However, I know one thing that you were right recently; you shouldn't give up. It might be disheartened to have all your hopes shattered but you can't let yourself down. Tyler and I never gave up one bit after the hardships that got in our way. You will find him. There is no doubt about that." He handed her a tissue from a box that he found in the living room._

_Catherine lifted her head up as she gracefully accepted his words of encouragement and undoubtedly the tissue. The beautiful woman smiled, "Thanks Gabe for the words. I really need it." She wiped her eyes with the soft fabric. After finishing up drying all the tears and sadden emotions, the detective balled up the used tissue and placed it in a coat pocket. She then stared out to the city's landscape that was lit up so beautifully by the full moon placed in the middle of the black canvas hanging overhead. She continued to stare off into the distance for a couple of minutes before speaking, "You know, Gabe. I think you have a good heart. You just have bad intentions. Someday, I hope you can get rid the negatives in your life and focus on what's good. I believe in you."_

_Cat's last statement resounded over and over in Gabe's mind as he stared off to space. **She believed in him!** After all what he did to her and to the ones she loved, she still cared about him. He decided that at that moment when they were standing on the balcony, enjoying the warm spring night, that he would do anything in his will to protect her. Maybe it was the mysterious warm feelings that were starting to bubble up in his chest that was getting to him..._

"Hello, earth to Gabe Lowen," the tall woman standing in front of the desk spoke in an arrogant tone. He snapped out of his dazed and readjusted his eyes to her. "I am sorry there, I must of been thinking too hard," the curly-haired man assured, "Anyways, thank you for your hard work. I need you to investigate someone tomorrow. I need you to do this by yourself. Can you drop by Curt Winsor's residence on Long Island. He might have something to do with this case. Can you ask him for me? Here is his information." He handed her a thick envelope and continued on, "If you have any questions or concerns, just give me a call. I will want a full report privately after tomorrow's briefing, if you don't mind." Tess mouthed a no as she glared at Gabe.

"Good, take care Detective Vargas. Have a good night," he admirably ended the conversation. The annoyed woman walked out from Gabe's office and towards her desk. Who is Curt Winsor? And, what does he have to do with Vincent or the beast attacks? This case was getting weirder and weirder by the minute.

The tall brunette woman began to pack her things for the night by bending over and reaching for the door to the lower desk cabinet. She then noticed that her best friend was concentrating on something. "Hey girl, how was your day?" Tess greeted as she peered over her desk to look at Cat's face which was barely in view. The smaller woman sighed, "It was ok. I had to go with a detective from the Special Victims Unit to interview a possible witness for that serial rapist case." Tess's face instantly went to an "Eeeeh, gods, you on that case" look. Cat noticed as she moved her eyes away from the computer screen and onto Tess, responding with a light laugh, "I know, I know. Catherine Chandler and Special Victims Unit? They never mix. However, our new Captain thought it was a smart idea to have me work on that case."

"Ahh, it looks like he wants you to try something new," Tess reasoned as she finished up packing up her things, "Whatever maybe the _case_ be, I think it might work out for your best interests. Anyways, my day was eventful. It will get more eventful if I am late to dinner with J.T.. Sorry girl, I will catch you later." Tess strolled around the island of desks to give Cat a friendly goodbye kiss on the cheek when she briefly saw what Cat was looking at. "Hey Cat, what is this?" Tess questioned as the taller woman look at her tense friend.

"I think I might of seen another beast today."


	14. A Secret Ploy

**Author's Note: **Here is the next chapter! This chapter deals a lot with an original character I made for this fanfiction, Captain Brian McIntyre. Read on to see if he is a good guy or a bad guy. :)

* * *

_**Previously on "Indomitable Hope"**_

_Tess strolled around the island of desks to give Cat a friendly goodbye kiss on the cheek when she briefly saw what Cat was looking at. "Hey Cat, what is this?" Tess questioned as the taller woman look at her tense friend._

_"I think I might of seen another beast today."_

* * *

Tess recounted Cat's words as she headed towards her car.

_Wait_, Cat saw another beast?

It couldn't be Vincent! It was too soon for them to be reunited considering that Vincent currently has no recollections his life before his kidnapping. There could be a possibility that there could be more than one beast roaming New York City, right? Just look at Gabe.

Once she found her car, Tess unlocked it and got in silently. The tall brunette reached for her cell phone buried in her coat's pocket and wondered whether or not her boy wonder texted her about dinner plans. It looked like that it wasn't the case as Tess noticed that there were no new messages flashing on her wide phone screen. She sighed, maybe it would better if she ordered Chinese food from a restaurant a block away from J.T.'s apartment. The detective had so much to tell and had many questions to ask that couldn't be revealed in a public setting. Perhaps J.T. would know more about this Curt Winsor that she had to interview tomorrow.

The brunette woman turned the car's key in the ignition to start it and drove off to the direction of J.T.'s apartment.

* * *

Brian McIntyre turned off the lights and locked the door to his office to commemorate the end of a long first day. The salt-and-pepper haired man didn't mind that he was chosen to be this precinct's temporary captain. However, there was a lot of work to be done since the former Captain, Joe Bishop, became reckless by abandoning his work to his obsession of hunting the beast. It was going to take a month or two sort out the mess that Bishop left.

Of course, the highlight of his day was when he was able to hear the firsthand reports from the team that ADA Lowren assembled for the jogger's murder case. Judging by what he heard and saw, he wanted to believe that there was an animal-like creature, probably a beast, that was running around the city. He saw the amount of blood, the claw marks that was running all over the body, and, most importantly, the puncture wounds near the victim's heart.

Grabbing a small, black briefcase that was lying against the carpet near his office's door, the older Captain walked towards the elevator, hopping on the first car that was available. It didn't take long to reach the first floor where he his Pontiac Mustang was parked in the employee's car park. He found it in the back section and unlocked the car manually with his set of keys. He popped in, put on his seatbelt, and drove off.

McIntyre noticed that the time was six forty-five on the radio's clock._ Fifteen more minutes until I have to meet with Agent McCleary and Li Zhao_, he thought as he looked for the best way to reach his destination, _Maybe I need to take the back roads. They don't seem to be crowded._ He searched for a perfect escape and instantly found it, a small alleyway nearby. He commanded his car to turn there and drove off.

It took the Captain about ten minutes to reach a small bar with no signs or notices. There was only one window that was partially covered by plywood as the sole glass pane was broken in one area. The lights inside were barely on, making the place seem eerily spooky and mysterious. It was next to a burned out store that looked like it hasn't been occupied for a long time as pieces of glass, graffiti, and other material were scattered around the former store's surroundings.

McIntyre began to search for a spot to park his car in this shady section of the city. He finally found one not long after. The location was in a tiny alley that had no sidewalk lights shining overhead and was a close walking distance to the bar. He turned off his car as the sun was starting to fade into the city's landscape. The police captain took a pair of license plates from the glove department and stepped out of the car to replace the existing ones. He looked around to make sure no one was watching. When he saw no one, he quickly exchanged the plates and placed the other set in the glove department. The salt-and-pepper haired man took the black suitcase out, closed the door to the driver's side, manually locked it, and walked to the bar.

McIntyre gripped the door's brass handle, hoping that fate would be kind to him tonight. He wished that the information he learned today was enough to feed Muirfield's appetite for knowledge on the whereabouts about Vincent Keller. Praying softly, the police captain opened the door and stepped into the bar. It smelled like alcohol, dust, and smoke all mixed together. It was a bit disgusting. He noticed that in the good size bar there were a lot more tables and chairs than people. At one of these tables was a group of three men who wore all black and had their heads lowered so their top hats were hiding their faces. _This must be them_, he gulped as he paced slowly towards the table.

"Good evening, Captain," a deep voice came out from one of the members as McIntyre approached the table, "Please sit down. Care for a drink?" McIntyre replied in a light tone, "No thanks, I think I will pass." The police captain took a seat next to the man who was speaking to him.

"Suit yourself. Let me introduce you to everyone around this table. Fellows, how about we greet Mr. McIntyre, hmm?" he spoke warmly as he used eye contact to signal to the two other men to raised their heads and reveal their faces, which they did without any hesitation.

"You know whom I am, I take it. I am Agent McCleary as you know," the white-haired man introduced himself first and then the others, "Next to me is Li Zhao, the son of Muirfield's partner business that supplies most of our funds. And, the guy next to you is one of our agency's most prominent scientists. He has been working on the cross-species DNA project since the beginning. This is Antonio Reyes. Gentleman, let's get friendly and greet each other." McIntyre looked at the Latino man who had a petite body, a clean-shaved face with some wrinkles scattered about, and eyes that were dark as chocolate. The scientist extended his hand out to the police captain as the two shook hands briefly before turning their attention back on the much older agent.

"Now you know why we are here, Mr. McIntyre," the agent began with a stern voice and unfaltering glare at the guy sitting next to him, "We elected you to seek any information about that attack on the jogger's death at Riverside Park a day ago. What did you find out?"

The salt-and-pepper haired man wondered how to better explain the small but significant progression on the case. "You see, the investigation was carried out by four various members of Precinct 44. If I may note that Catherine's best friend, Detective Tess Vargas, is working on the case but it is unknown if they are communicating to each other about it. However, they appeared in a briefing today at four o'clock pm with various other members of the police force from around the city and Gabe Lowen. Each one of them took turns reporting their side of the case. I compiled the information in these notes I wrote down and the photos I saw during the presentation."

He reached down to pick up the briefcase that was lying besides his chair. He opened it, taking out a few pieces of paper with neat writing scribbled all over and a few screenshots of the slides from the briefing that were taken by a phone and printed off. Agent McCleary picked up the notes first and passed the photos off to Li Zhao.

The older agent read the notes while questioning McIntyre on the contents, "It says here that one of the detectives said that there were various claw-like marks present all over the body and puncture marks near the woman's heart. Also, it says there that you think she was killed from either organ failure due to the punctures or from a vast amount of blood lost. Do you have anymore information?" He passed the notes along to the others as he looked McIntyre straight in his eyes.

"I don't have any more information at the moment. Everything is too new. Gabe and one of the woman detective, I don't know her name but she isn't Vargas, said that they are trying to speed up the medical examination. We could learn the true cause of the jogger's death by tomorrow. However, it's a possibility that the body might not be seen for a while because this isn't a top priority in the system right now."

That information didn't go over well with Agency McCleary as his face began to clearly express anger. He reached over and grabbed the police captain's shirt, instructing him in a strict tone on McIntyre's next job, "That isn't good enough! You have to go in there and use your rank to get that body examined by the medical examiner by tomorrow evening. I don't care about the other bodies in the queue, this case is more important as we have to know for sure if this was done by Vincent Keller or not.

We have to know about the results before anyone else does. Apparently former Agent Reynolds is trying to pursue this case too, according to other agents who are keeping a close eye on him. If he finds out this information before us, we are screwed. He wants to use Vincent for his bloody revenge on us."

Li Zhao interrupted him, "I am sorry to interrupt you, however it might be your best interest if you could get Agent Reynolds back on our side. I know that he used to be in the organization when Dr. Vanessa Chandler was still alive. I think if we can bring him back to our side, Muirfield could invincible with the experiences and resources that we all hold."

The white-haired man sighed as he turned his head to look at Zhao, "It looks harder than it sounds. But, I think it could be a possibility. I might get a chance to have a nice little chat with Mr. Reynolds somewhere in the near future." The lead agent turned to look at McIntyre again, instructing him further, "I want more information about the case. I need more than what I got today. We didn't pick you to play around. Muirfield picked you because you have shown us in the past that you can get the job done and that you have the skills and rank in the police force to help us out. Do not fail us, do you understand?"

The police captain just briefly nodding his head in a yes motion.

"Good, now scram and get your work done. Remember what you promised," the agent briskly ended the conversation as he refrained from using any type of eye contact with McIntyre. Instead, he drank his glass of scotch as he gazed at the semi-large crowd coming in. McIntyre took the hint as he said he goodbye to Zhao and Reyes and left the bar quickly.


	15. Reunited Once Again

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Here is the chapter that you all been waiting. The legendary reunion between two main character of this series. Although, I did throw a monkey wrench into the situation. :P

Read on and please review! What do you think of the bittersweet reunion?

* * *

Night fell around the city as a dark curtain of velvet black covered the New York sky with a half moon and stars littering all over it. The view was breathtaking to some, especially for the brown-haired man who was looking at it. Sitting in an alleyway, the figure was pondering about how eventful his day was. It started off with him waking up in a park with no knowledge of how he got there and how he got blood on his hands. Then, he encountered a beautiful yet tall detective named Tess Vargas and later her boyfriend whom claimed to know him. Confused, this handsome stranger escaped from the pair as he couldn't completely trust anyone yet.

The meeting with Tess and her boyfriend opened a floodwall of memories as they spoke about their long lost friend.

_Maybe I am this "Vincent Keller" person that they have been looking for_, he pondered as he looked up at the half moon shining brightly against the night sky.

The scientist in the laboratory would always mention the words "he", "the beast", "the experiment", or "the test subject" when referring to him. It was when he heard the name "Vincent Keller" from Agent McCleary that he started to wonder about his real identity. Maybe he could research a little bit more, but how? He was currently homeless with no access to the internet, a phone, or any databases that could find information. Maybe he should try one of the libraries nearby tomorrow, if he could find one.

He shrugged off the idea of finding his identity as his stomach began to growl wildly.

_When_ was the last time he had something to eat?

It felt like forever.

The dark brown-haired man didn't possess any money as the lab didn't supply him often with such necessities. He also didn't really have anyone to depend on and give him food. The man didn't remember who was his family and friends were before and haven't made any since his escape. He should of given into Tess' sincerity and gratitude by asking for a quick meal when he was at the chubby scientist's apartment.

Oh well, time for Plan B. Where in the hell could you find free food in this city?

_That's right!_ There was a quiet, little park nearby that had a decent-sized lake. It wasn't populated with people at this hour. He could catch a couple of fish and make fresh drinking water by boiling the lake's water with a fire he could make. Somehow, these ideas came to mind as the man recalled from a distant memory that he had retained the knowledge and methods of survival somewhere. It was part of training for something. It was a struggle to clearly remember the details though.

He continued to walk down the sidewalk to the park. Suddenly, the man felt a sudden flare of pain rumble throughout his chest. The sensation didn't go away instantly. Instead, it grew and spread throughout his body as it started to reach the tips of his fingers, to the bottom of his feet, and finally to the very top of his head. As the neurons in his brain kept tell him that he was in extreme pain, the sensation left a numb feeling in his muscles. It caused him to lose his sense of balance, falling down to the ground.

_ What... is... happening...? Oh... no, it... can't be!_ he thought, lacing his arms around his inners as his form crumpled with each pulse of blazing pain. The man curled into a ball as he tried to hide the expression of pain on his scrunched up face.

At the same moment, a beautiful woman with straight dark brown hair and a petite figure came walking towards his direction. She wasn't paying attention at first to the scene that was unfolding near her as her eyes were glued to the tiny screen held in between her hands. It was when she reached a small crosswalk a few feet from the incident that the woman noticed something odd. She peeled her eyes off the screen and lifted her head to see if there were any cars coming. Looking first to the right then the left, she made one more check before looking straight ahead.

The instant when she saw the petite man crouching drown in agonizing pain, she placed her phone in one of her coat's pockets and ran to him. Once she reached him, she bent down to his eye level, trying to talk to him calmly.

"Hey, what is happening? Are you ok? Do you need any help? Can I call the ambulance for you?"

She continued to look at the man who was still holding his inners and continuing to convulse in pain. While she was asking him a series of questions, she reached into her pocket to get her phone ready to dial 911. The woman also continued to move closer to the helpless man but was careful not to touch him. She couldn't tell what was going on and debated if she wanted to physically assess the man infront of her too see what was wrong. Her face was etched with shock and awe as she tried to investigate mentally first.

The man still moaned in pain, only hearing bits and pieces of the woman's questions. He had very few chances to express what was going on. When he spoke, it was in either in between the painful moans and came up in broken pieces.

"Please... he...lp... me..." he groaned, "So...mmmmme... thiiii...ng iiiissss... chan...g...ing... in...ssssside..."

He slowly moved his head upwards in order to have his eyes meet hers so the woman next to him would notice his pleads.

The middle-aged woman observed that the man was trying to re-positioned himself and moved his head up. She moved back at once to a reasonable distance as she was able to see the man's face for the first time. Once she locked her beautiful green eyes on his, her face changed to express one feeling; _pure shock_. She gasped at what she saw and carelessly dropped the phone that she held in her grasp. Those hands instinctively came up and over her mouth as she could only say the one thing that suddenly popped in her mind.

"Vincent..."

The man heard that name escape from the beautiful woman's mouth who kneeling in front of him.

_That name again!_ Even this stranger called him by that name. Maybe it was his name after all. But, he couldn't think straight to question if whether or not Vincent was really his name or not, His mind was still in a deep, mind-numbing sense of confusion.

However, in some way, this same woman stirred a memory that was hidden deeply in the back of his mind when she gasped that foreign name.

As he was groaning and gasping for air, he whispered a long-forgotten name on his lips.

_"Catherine..."_

He looked at the woman who had a variety of emotions changing throughout her face. After the fact that she discovered that he might be Vincent, the expression of shock ebbed away and was replaced by ones of happiness and relieved. Catherine cupped her slender hands over her nose and mouth as she was starting to shed tears of joy. She couldn't believe, after the events she went through and the frantic searches she conducted, that he would finally appear in front of her. It was such a joy to be able to see the man she loves deeply after these long months.

_Making_ eye contact with him.

Being _near_ him.

Smelling his _husky_ scent again.

Almost able to caress him _once again_.

_This couldn't be a dream, right?_

Sadly, the happiness didn't last long. Once her name escaped his lips, the man instantly lost conscious as he fainted on the cold, hard pavement below him.

"Vincent, _**no**_!" the woman softly yelped as she moved closer to her love to see if he was breathing.

_Catherine couldn't lose him again! _

She placed her hands along his lower neck, his wrists, and on his back to check on his vitals. However, she didn't get a chance to fully check his vital stats. The moment she placed her hands gingerly on his neck, the man whom she called Vincent started to stir violently. Catherine decided to play it safe and move back further to see what would this man do next.

The woman kept a close ear and eye on the man as he began to wake up. She could hear that the man's irregular breathing as it was mixed with heavy gasps and immature growling. The newly transformed man remained lying on the ground with his eyes shut, trying to flex his prolonged claws. Catherine saw that his appearance changed as well with gnarly claws coming out from his distorted, discolored fingers that had patches of what seemed to be fine strands of hair in various places. His face also displayed the same type of discoloration as it was also altered a bit, disfigured with non-natural colors, various enlarged blood veins spreading across the surface, and skin abnormalities starting to form. However, it wasn't until he opened his yellow eyes that she knew exactly what happened.

He had turned into a beast.

"Vincent, it's ok! I am here, your Catherine. You seemed to remember me," Catherine spoke with a calm and soothy rational as she approached the transformed man. She tried to put a hand on his broad shoulders to sooth him in hopes he could instantly de-transform.

In truth, the result was the complete opposite. As soon as Catherine stretched her hand outwards in his direction in hopes to steady him, Vincent started to abruptly stand up with his back facing Catherine as he was surveying the scenery around him. Then as the brunette placed her hand lightly on one of his shoulders, he turned around to face her in a blink of an eye and started to attack her. The man-beast didn't make eye contact with her as his claws swipe across the woman's abdomen hard, leaving a series of deep cuts that began to bleed out a dark liquid. He also struck her face with the same set of fierce claws, causing the same effects. The creature continued his attack by trying to thrust his claws into her chest to create the same kind of puncture wounds left on the dead jogger.

Suffering from the onset of severe pain, Catherine took notice at what was the beast's intentions at the last minute as she haphazardly placed her arms around her chest and twisted her body so the most vital regions of her body would be spared from the attack. However, it didn't completely defend her as the beast was able thrust his claws into the upper left side of her belly, just mere inches from her lungs.

Catherine fell down as her fresh wounds caused agonizing pain to throbbed throughout her body. Her breathing became shallow as she was losing lots of blood and possibly soon conscious. She saw that her beloved Vincent was moving closer to her as he licked his augmented incisors.

Catherine gasped in horror as she closed her eyes in fear.

_What is he going to do? He can't be planning to seriously eat me? He never used his teeth to attack or even kill someone. Is he going to really kill me now"_

She couldn't tell if he would really carry out his plans because as soon as she finished that last thought, she passed out on the cold, hard pavement.

As the creature took no notice that his prey was suddenly unconscious, he began to move closer and closer to the woman. He started to flex his claws and open his mouth to feast on Catherine. But, before he could start to touch her delicate flesh, he instantly growled boisterously and slowly passed out next to Catherine's body. A figure with a petite body, bright green eyes, and cascading red hair came up to the two bodies lying on the pavement. She placed the long-ranged tranquilizer gun back in her gun pouch that was placed close to her waist. The redhead then reached out for a walkie talkie as she pressed it against her mouth, verbalizing a command to someone on the other side.

"I got him. He was in the process of attacking another victim. I need all men to proceed with caution when picking him up and placing him in the van. Do you copy?"

She sighed deeply as she placed the walkie talkie near her left ear to see if anyone got her message.

It seemed like someone did as a big, white van sped up to the curb silently. It had the headlights turned off as it reached the location. As soon as the van stopped, several men in black armor jumped out from the back and raced towards the two bodies on the ground. The team of around eight people lifted the unconscious Vincent from the ground with no problems and carried him back to the van.

One of the men stuck around and reported back to the tall woman with the walkie talkie. "We did what you wanted, ma'am. Where do you want us to take him? How about the woman he attacked?"

She replied coolly as she looked at Catherine lying on the pavement. "I take care of the woman. Just have the team take the van back to the manor. Tell my dad what happened, he'll know what to do."

The armored man nodded and saluted back at her to confirmed his understanding of her orders. He raced back to the van as the woman reached out for an iPhone placed deeply in her coat's pocket and began to call 911.

"Hello, I would like to report an attack near the Hudson River."


	16. Hesitation

**Author's Note:** Hey guys, sorry for the long delay! I been really busy at work and had no time to post any new chapters. And recently, I been discouraged about things lately, especially writing. Hopefully, I can get back in the swing of things soon.

Enjoy the chapter! This chapter is dedicated to the Tess and J.T. fans because they are a really cute couple.

* * *

For the second time in one day, the light brunette detective pulled her car up to the curb near her boyfriend's apartment.

_What a day_, she thought as she exhaled a deep breath and leaned her head gently against the headrest. She turned off her car swiftly. The woman slowly whirled her attention at the bag full of Chinese food that was sitting undisturbed in the passenger's seat. It was a large bag that carried two separate dinners and appetizers for her and her boyfriend.

They had a lot to talk about.

She sighed once more, internally motivating herself to get up, pick up the food, and get the hell out of the car.

It didn't take long to reach J.T.'s apartment. Once she got there, she knocked on the door and waited for it to open. While waiting, Tess starting to think about her day while staring at the bland white walls surrounding the door frame. From the assignment of interviewing the high-profile business mogul Curt Windsor to Catherine's encrypted story about meeting another beast-like creature, Tess began to feel increasingly confused. Nothing made any sense anymore. Maybe it was easier if she wasn't involved anymore, she could be assigned to a "normal" special crimes case or a basic case like a robbery or a small crime.

Oh well, _such_ a life...

"Hey Tess, welcome back?," a jolly voice greeted her from the doorway, sounding slightly confused as J.T. saw his girlfriend staring off into space, "Is anything wrong?"

Those words brought the tall woman back to reality as she shook off her thoughtful pondering and moved her eyes to the guy standing in the doorway.

"Ah, the same as usually," she responded with an airy voice, "Lots of things are happening. Can I come in and talk about it?"

The detective smiled weakly as she raised the hand that carried the delicious Chinese food in to make him notice what she bought. J.T. smiled back at her and gestured to come in.

Tess walked in and noticed right away that J.T. wasn't the type of man who was into romantic dinners. The first clue was obvious; she brought takeout from his favorite Chinese restaurant. The other clues were slightly less obvious but not hard to spot if you were the type of girl who was hoping for a date night type of dinner. He didn't have lit candles scattered around the room with any type of flowers decorating the scenario. The pudgy man also didn't even have a table that had fancy tableware lying on the top, two handcrafted wine glasses sitting in the middle, or a beautiful tablecloth adorning the important piece of a date.

Instead, J.T. motioned with his hands to place the Chinese food on the long black coffee table with slabs of glasses on the top that was in front of a big screen television. She put the food on the table like he wanted and sat down on the plush couch, sighing once more. This was the far opposite of every girl's typical dream of a date night. Sure J.T. couldn't outwardly show how romantic he was towards Tess. But, he did show it in other ways. Besides, isn't there a saying that beauty is found within?

"So, how was that meeting that you had to urgently rush to?" the science professor asked as he sat down next to her and the food, placing two cans of cold beer next to it. J.T. started to look inside the large bag for his food as Tess began to explain what happened earlier.

"Let's see," she started as she tried to recall the bare facts, "The meeting that I was late to, thanks to a certain somebody, was about the jogger's murder case. Apparently, my colleagues were able to well document the crime scene and gather a lot of evidence. They think the victim died from the vast amount of blood she lost or the puncture wounds that she received near her heart."

Hearing that statement, J.T. instantly became interested as he stopped eating his food to give his full attention to Tess' story.

"The deep puncture wounds were located near the right atrium of her heart. It also seems that the victim had a ton of deep scratches all over her body caused by animal claws or a sharp object. However, she wasn't totally disfigured or had signs that the person or creature tried to gnaw her flesh. She was actually completely recognizable."

Tess took a pause from her storytelling to turn her attention to the rest of the bag's contents. She fished her portion out and dumped it's contents plus an egg roll from the appetizers container on a paper plate provided by the restaurant. She began to eat her food diligently as she waited for the man next to her to start to ask questions. But instead, all she got was dead silence from the man.

"There wasn't any more information after that. Everyone is giving the medical examiner hell so he or she can examine the body as soon as possible. Our new Captain is extremely pissed that it wasn't done now. A bit odd," she continued while chowing down on her food.

"Anyways, we will get more information in a couple days. Gabe has order everyone involved to be hush-hush about the whole thing. He doesn't want the whole city panic as this could be a beast-related attack. Just be careful." She looked at him seriously to make sure he understood the last statement before taking a sip of the cold beer he offered her earlier.

"You know I wouldn't tell a soul about this. I have done it perfectly with Vincent and his secrets for the past ten or so years. Don't worry," J.T. laughed it off as he too took a sip from his beer.

Outwardly, he was laughing at how serious Tess was taking in the whole secret information business. However, he was a bit afraid inwardly. Judging by what he was hearing, the attack was possibly caused by Vincent. The way how Tess described the marks left on the jogger's body sounded something like Vincent would do.

"This whole investigation got confusing right after the meeting. Gabe pulled me over after everyone left and told me that I had to have a chat with the well-known businessman Curt Winsor. Do you know anything about him? What is his connection with this attack?"

That last question seemed like Tess was jumping the gun, she inevitably thought, but it had to be asked. None of this was making sense to her.

J.T. replied, "Well, Mr. Winsor is all over the news for what he does for New York and everywhere else. But, according to the stuff I was seen, like documents and hacked emails from Muirfield, it is said that he has supplied some money to the organization at some point of their livelihood. It's odd that Gabe would ask you to interview them about this case. _Unless..._

Tell me how can Gabe link what happened in Riverside with Muirfield just yet. Something is going on and Gabe ain't telling."

Tess looked a little relieved that someone else was puzzled by Gabe's action.

"You are right, Gabe's actions are confusing right now. Hopefully, I can find answers tomorrow," she concluded.

However, something else was bothering her; it was what Catherine said in the office before she left. "One more thing, Cat might of have seen something during a questioning on an unrelated rape case. She said that she saw a beast-like creature with red hair and strange colored eyes. She got out of the car and pursue the creature unsuccessfully. Do you know anything about any other beasts?"

That made J.T. ponder for a while. He knew that there were other beasts out there as Vincent and his regime weren't the first or last test subjects for Muirfield's ill-fated cross-species DNA program; Gabe was living proof of that. However, Vincent and he never came into contact with such beasts until recently as they lived secluded, far away from normal human contact. Sure, during his time of researching a cure for his best buddy, J.T. did find out about the people that Muirfield experimented on. Yet, he never had the guts or could trust these people to really met them. He didn't know if those people were still working with Muirfield or not. It was a game of chance he didn't want to gamble on.

"To answer your question," J.T. started off with ease, "I have read about the possibility of other beasts when I was interested in finding a cure for Vince and researching Muirfield's experiments. However, I haven't really met one in real life until Gabe came along. There could be a uncountable number of people who possess beast-like abilities in the New York City area or even in the world but I wouldn't know. Even Muirfield can't keep track of them."

That last statement didn't surprise Tess a lot as she thought that the organization was recently disorganized due to various variables. She smiled a little at that thought as she continued to drink her beer.

All the sudden, the petit detective heard a familiar ring coming from the cell phone in her pocket. She took it out and checked who was calling. "Oh god, it's Gabe again. I wonder what he wants right now? Another person to interview about this case?" Tess rolled her eyes as she stood up to take the call. She tapped the talk button and began to speak, "Hey Gabe, what is up?" However, the voice on the end of the line didn't sound calm or relaxed. Instead, it sounded frantic and worried.

"Tess, you have to come to New York General as soon as possible. It's Cat, she was attacked by a possible beast near Hudson River tonight. She is barely alive and unconscious, You need to see her."

Tess reassured Gabe that she was coming right away. After she heard a click from his end of the line to signal that he had hung up, Tess turned around with a look of pure anxiety and worry written all over her face. She looked at her boyfriend with the grimmest face he had ever seen on a human.

_ It looks like that phone call was about bad news_, he pondered while noticing that she was also hastily grabbing her stuff.

She locked eyes with him briefly and spoke with a very grim tone.

"J.T., we have to go. I think Cat met Vincent and it didn't go down well."


	17. Waking Up in a Mysterious Heaven

**Author's Note:** I am still on vacation! So, more chapters for you!

Enjoy reading! :D

* * *

The first thing the brown-haired man could see while waking up was the bright morning light streaming through the bedroom windows. Maybe that was the reason why he was suffering from a massive headache. He blinked his eyes a couple times to awaken his senses from the dainty sleep. Once he came to his full senses, the petite man noticed that he was in an unusual location.

_I must have blacked out again. I don't remember ever visiting this place before_, he thought as he scanned the room to see if he could recognize where he was, _Who has brought me here and why?_

He began to slowly sit up in the lush king-sized bed he was placed in. His whole body ached all over as his headache seemed to get worse with every effect of trying to move his body upwards. The man with the buzz cut hairstyle ignored the fact that he was totally fatigued as he shook his head several times to remove the feeling.

When the man was done, he took another view of the grand room around him. The room was filled with a considerable amount of richness and elegance with brilliant magnony wood floor and lush Persian carpets laid on top. He noticed that the walls were adorned with a fascinating shade of garnet as various pieces of art from what seemed to be high-classed artists hung on them.

The man darted his eyes back to the bed he was sleeping in. He felt he had a pretty damn good sleep as he thought that the linens were the softest thing he ever touched. He also noticed the blanket was enormous with silk woven on the outside and bird feathers, as it felt like, was stuffed inside. Turning slightly around to the feel the constancy of the pillows, the broad shoulders guy noticed that the pillows had their own personalities; some were firm as a rock and others were soft like a mountain of dove feathers.

He must be in heaven! The man never experienced something so grand before since... since... Ah, he couldn't remember the last time he had something this warm and comfortable to sleep in. As far back as he can recall, the only "bed" he ever slept on was a mat with a straw pillow and a flimsy blanket when he was in the laboratory or just sleeping on the cold, hard pavement for the other times. The thought of the past made the man truly content; he was living life as a king. He displayed a huge grin from ear to ear at that gracious thought.

As he continued to think about his surroundings, a knock at the big double doors to the right of the bed interrupted the figure's happy thoughts.

_Oh crap, does someone want to come in,_ he panicked at he pushed the huge blanket off of him to see what he was wearing. However, he had no time to decide if he was decent or not as the doors opened to reveal a gorgeous woman pushing a golden cart filled with delicious morning treats.

He stared at this supposed goddess wheeling the breakfast cart in and closing the door behind her. The woman had long and flowing, semi-curly hair that cascaded down like a fiery river past her shoulders and stopped at the middle of her back. Her face had milky white skin, akin to pure snow, that had a few small freckles on her nose and cheeks. Those specks didn't hinder her beauty but brought it out more. Her emerald green eyes pierced through her milky complexity like a searchlight on a long winter night. The rest of her was quite ethereal as her small body was draped with an awe-inspiring, rich black floor-length dress that must be designed by a well-known designer like Vera Wong or Michael Kors.

She stopped the cart just inches from the side of the bed where he slept on and looked into his eyes. She was amused by how dumbstruck he looked as he was continuing to gaze with his mouth slightly opened.

"Good morning to you too," she giggled slightly with a voice that sounded so sweet and melodious to his ears, "I see that you had a good night sleep?"

She lifted one of her eyebrows up to tell him how stupid he looked as he was awestruck at the sight of her. She placed her hands on his to let him know that food was here. This woman was hoping that this guy could speak about something much more than his sleep last night.

He awoke from the trance once he noticed that her silky, tapestry fingers were on his. Embarrassed, the man cleared his throat to clear the air of awkwardness that hung around them.

"I did. Thank you. I felt like a king," he answered as he stared at the frosty pastries on the tray that tempted his hunger. "However, how did I get here? I don't remember ever coming here last night. What happened?"

The redhead beauty sighed at the questions he was asking; this is going to be a long discussion that she wondered and agonized at the same moment. Her green eyes pierced into his chocolate ones as she softly started to suggest a compromise to his demand, "How about we talk about what happened at the small table over there. I promise I can tell you everything. And, I have questions for you too, if you don't mind telling me, um... What is your name?"

"I don't really know. People whom I met recently have called me Vincent. I am starting to wonder if that is my real name..." the man trailed off as he wondered once more about his name. As he was pondering at that thought, the beautiful woman pushed the golden cart a little towards the bottom edge of the bed as she bent down to his eye level. She placed a delicate hand on the right side of his face as she elegantly spoke, "It seems you are in a struggle to find your personal identity that was lost to you. Don't think about it too much, it will come to you when it wants to. My name is Tori, by the way. Since I have to refer to you as a name for the time we are going to be together, is it ok to call you Vincent?" The man simply nodded back, silently agreeing to the request. "Great," she responded as she pointed to the desired meeting point in a not-so-distant corner of the room. "Let me push this cart to the small dining table over there. Don't worry about setting things out, I take care it. Hopefully, you have enough energy to make it to the table." She swept her eyes over his body to check his status before she stood up and pushed the cart to the table.

Although he was very weak, his hunger out won his fatigue as he tumbled out of bed. The lean built man walked gingerly to the table as Tori was starting to dish out some pastries, eggs, bacon, and other delectables on a gorgeous china plate. She noticed his presence and gestured to sit down at the side with the plate full of food. He sat down in a reasonable pace and said his thanks to the beautiful woman as he reached out for the silverware to start eating the food. The woman did the same.

"You are probably wondering what happened to you and why you ended up here. Before I tell you, I want to know that you can trust me. I am not an agent of Muirfield or any government or science agency that wants to capture you for their own good."

That comment made Vincent stop in tracks. He slammed the fork down instantly. "How do you know about Muirfield?" the man annoyingly asked as he started with a heavy presentence of anger at the woman across from him, expecting an answer right away.

Tori ignored the man's anger as she finished chewing a bite of a toasted bagel filled with cream cheese. The redhead closed her eyes and daintily wiped the crumbs on a cloth napkin. She placed the napkin down on her lap and opened her eyes once more to look at the man.

"You see Vincent, you and I are alike. I know who you are and what your capabilities are because I saw your other form last night.

You are wondering how you got here. Let me tell you how I found you. I have the ability to sense someone far away with their scent and breathing. I have been tracking you through your unique smell and how your heart beats even faster when you transformed into a beast. I noticed you a couple of days ago when you were in the process of killing that jogger. At that moment, I decided that I should follow you from afar to see how things would pan out for you. And, it wasn't hard. Once I get a whiff of your scent, my senses are always locked on it. As you know.

I know a lot about you, Vincent Keller. A young doctor-to-be that was rocked by the horrible tragedies of your two brothers. You enlisted in the army a little after their deaths to bring honor to them. Once you arrived at a camp base in Afghanistan, you were selected from a secret ops program funded a joint agreement between the Department of Defense and Muirfield. However, the program was unsuccessful as the cross-species DNA they injected you with proved to be more deadly than it was intended to be. Instead of finding a cure for it, the program managers decided to kill off those who were involved with the project. They managed to kill off most, except the ones who escaped and hide."

"Ones like you."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I know there was a lot of Tori and Vincent in this chapter but wouldn't be the main couple of this story, don't worry. I am not much of a Tori fan but every story needs an anti-hero, right? Especially one who is so perfect and gorgeous as Tori. Besides, I tried to paint Vincent having this puppy-love crush on Tori that will be pivotal in later chapters. :) This story is Vincent and Catherine, based on pairing filter, and I wouldn't lie to my beloved readers.


	18. The Past with a Compromised Future

**Author's** **Note:** I'm back! Today's the last day of my vacation, so I will post one chapter a week. I spent the latter half of the week in southern Japan. It was hot but really relaxing to be near the sea and a great trip. I got to see the Disney musical "Beauty and the Beast" in Japanese, which I want to see again. I was really excited that I got really good seats, I near the stage but not too close.

Here is the next chapter! There is more interactions between Tori and Vincent that needs to be fleshed out in this chapter, sorry. We also learn how she is involved with the beasts.

* * *

_**Previously on "Indomitable Hope"...**_

_"I know a lot about you, Vincent Keller. A young doctor-to-be that was rocked by the horrible tragedies of your two brothers. You enlisted in the army a little after their deaths to bring honor to them. Once you arrived at a camp base in Afghanistan, you were selected from a secret ops program funded a joint agreement between the Department of Defense and Murifield. However, the program was unsuccessful as the cross-species DNA they injected you with proved to be more deadly than it was intended to be. Instead of finding a cure for it, the program managers decided to kill off those who were involved with the project. They managed to kill off most, except the ones who escaped and hide."_

_"Ones like you."_

* * *

Memories sprung up from the back of Vincent's mind when the woman sitting across from him was explaining about a life he had once forgotten. Everything was coming back in hazy pieces: the faces of his brothers, the various members of the platoon that he was assigned to in Afghanistan, and his time while hiding from the ones who created his other half.

_But_, how did this woman know about him? If she said she wasn't Muirfield, then exactly **_who_** was she?

The elegant woman finished up eating her bagel while looking onwards at the puzzled expressions displayed on the man's face.

_It seemed like he didn't remember his past well_, Tori thought critically, _Judging by his reactions, Muirfield must of stepped up their game and did something to him to alter his memory._

"You are probably wondering why I know so much about you," the redhead began, "Please remember that I am being totally honest, I am not a Muirfield agent. Can't you sense that I am telling the truth by my heart rate? Is it not beating twice as fast as someone who would be lying to you?

Anyways, I know a lot about you and Muirfield because my father, Curt Winsor, was one of the first financial supporters of the agency back when it was created in the early 80s. He was lured in by a promise that he would be apart of history as my father could help to create superhumans, use altered DNA to eradicate every disease from the planet, and help science to learn more about human DNA structures. He also became a test subject as he received one the first batches of the cross species DNA injections, thus transforming him into a beast creature. The young scientists at Muirfield examined my dad thoroughly as they learned all about his superhuman abilities as well as the mistakes they tried to fix with the later experiments.

The organization was harmonious in its first five years as Muirfield's objectives were pure and unobstructed. The beasts back then weren't as violent as the ones from your generation as the injections they received weren't too powerful to cause long-lasting effects. My dad would tell me that his transformation would only last for a few minutes due to how weak the cross-species DNA was.

However, things changed a year before I was born as the agency headed towards the "dark" side. Muirfield was starting to lose money from the Government due to numerous reasons back then. One was that the Government was losing interest in a project that they considered to be a failure as the results were taking a long time to achieve. Another was the financial problems as the public and donors shifted their political interests. The agency's director searched and searched for a long time for a new steamline of cash and scientists who promised that they could get faster results on the experiments. That was when Li Zhao, a biochemist engineer who was in charged of a well-known human genetics lab but also lived a double life as a harsh dealer of drugs, came on board.

When he came in, he brought the term "ruthless" to the agency as he only cared about the money he was making and the quick results that could earn him a buck. He didn't care about the lives or the human nature of the people whom Muirfield experimented on. Sure, he did bring his lab's knowledge of how to create better engineered super soldiers by adding more variables to the formula. However, as the years went by, the test subjects lost their sense of humanity as these creatures, when transformed, forgot what was the true meaning of "justice".

My father kept on receiving injections for the cross-species DNA formula until he cut off his funding to the agency by, I want to say, the mid-90s. I don't remember exactly when because I was still a little girl who was sheltered from any knowledge about Murfield. Actually, I suspected that Murifield absolutely doesn't know anything about me because I mostly stayed in this manor for my whole life, rarely going out till I got older.

Why was I locked away and hidden from the rest of the world? That answer is found in my DNA. You see, I inherited a fair amount of my dad's cross-species DNA and have the ability to transform into a beast with incredible abilities. Now, I might not be as powerful as my dad can be but don't be fooled, I pack my own punch.

My dad had to hide me from Muirfield so they wouldn't know that their former sponsor was able to produce a child who also possesses superhuman abilities. I bet you if the latest director, Agent McCleary, heard about me, he would send his henchmen to experiment on me and maybe try to transform me into one of those human-less creatures.

Even though Muirfield tries to kill all their failed or past test subjects, they didn't have the guts to kill my dad. You see, if the national press got a whiff of a now-corrupted agency murdering a well-known businessman, the reporters would never cease to harass Murifield. So, Agent McCleary decided to spare my father when he was trying to purge all experiments from existence. He couldn't risk the damage or the threat of closing his precious agency if something careless happened."

Vincent kept on eating his breakfast as Tori continued her tale of her father, Muirfield, and her abilities. He could sense that the woman was being honest with every little detail in her story. The beautiful woman's heartbeat seemed to be normal. The man didn't smell the onset of sweat anywhere on her body. It seemed like that he could trust this woman. Finally a person to confide his secrets, fears, and confusion to!

While listening on, he wondered one thing.

"I am sorry to butt in. What you are saying is fascinating and pretty much helps me to understand more about Muirfield and you. But, let's back to the part where you said you found me near someplace called the Hudson River. How did you find me, ressutate me from my beast side, and get me to fall asleep on that lush bed over there?"

Vincent picked up a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice and took a swig of the creamy liquid after he finished questioning her.

"Excuse me, I must of have forgotten my matters as I was rambling off about the entwined past with my dad and Muirfield. Let me get back on track with your story," Tori gently expressed as she popped a few green grapes into her mouth. "Like I said, I can track you easily now because I know your scent. I also have heard from various sources that you mysteriously disappeared three months ago. Meanwhile, my father has heard reports from secret informatives that Muirfield has revamped their testing procedures to experiment a new formula on a past test subject. I thought while learning this information that something could of had happened to you due to the effects from the new formula.

I also decided that I would have the best members on my dad's security squad come and assist me to pick you up in case I had any problems. I called them up after I noticed that you were brutally attacking a petite but pretty middle-aged woman near Riverside Park in the early evening yesterday. It looked like you were trying to finish her off, just like the victim, by attempting to maul her with your own distorted mouth. However, I stopped you from completing your mission as I used a tranq gun to knock you out cold. I let my team carry your unconscious body to the van and have them administer the dose of a special formula that reversed your beast transformation. If it wasn't for my team, I don't know how long you would be stuck in that form for."

As she was finishing talking, Tori glanced at the Vincent as he was struggling with the flood of new information she presented to him. It was a lot to take in all at once. The auburn haired woman noticed that he brought his hands to his head and covered his already-closed eyes to try to take everything in.

_Maybe with all this information, he is starting to remember_, she concluded as she continued to watch the man and started to take a sip of the orange juice in a fancy wine glass.

Unanticipatedly, the man's eyes shot open as he suddenly remembered something about that night when he killed that helpless woman in the park. He looked into her emerald eyes, questioning her intentions back then.

"Wait, _**YOU**_ were there when I killed that woman a couple of nights before, am I right?"

The woman put the glass filled with fruity juice down on the table as she replied to his accusation, "Yes, it was me who used a tranq gun to calm you down that night too. I was hoping that if I could knock you out, I could of save her life as well. Sadly, I was too late. She had suffered so much from a ruptured aortic valve combined with a massive loss of blood from the injuries you inflicted." That last part was spoken in a very harsh tone as Tori wanted to make sure the guy understood full well the results of his actions, even though he wasn't in complete control of them all the time.

He gazed at his hands with a disturbed expression on her face after hearing that it was him who killed that innocent woman in the park.

_**No**_, not the human side of him.

The beast side.

However, it was the same hands that violently stabbed and slashed both ladies. He was becoming a vicious monster without knowing about it. What was the man with a buzzcut hairstyle suppose to do now since he knew fully well that he could kill anyone at any moment! He couldn't do anything in his own power to stop himself from what he was turning into.

It was hopeless.

Glancing on how harshly Vincent took the information, the elegant lady came swiftly to his side of the table, knelt down to his eye level, and placed her hands on each side of his head, forcing him to look at her.

"I know it feels like this grave situation is hopeless. I know that feeling all too well. I been there when I found out that I possessed superhuman abilities that were both awesome and fearful at the same time. However, if you stick it out with me, we can overcome anything, including permanently stopping your transformation and trying to live normal lives.

Just believe me."

She reassured her statement by pressing her lips lightly on his.

* * *

**Author's Note:** O_O! Scandalous! Tori, Tori, Tori, what did you do? You might of gotten yourself in trouble with that! I wonder what was Vincent's reaction? Stay tune for the next chapter!


	19. The Day After

**Author's Note: **Another chapter for my lovely readers! I know you want more Catherine and Vincent but that will come soon! This story won't be ending for a loooooooooooong time because there is a lot to write about. I am predicting that this story might be forty to fifty chapters long, which will include a great ending and a reason why Vincent and Catherine deserve to be together.

Meanwhile, enjoy this chapter! :D

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_"Please... he...lp... me..." a mysterious voice groaned, "So...mmmmme... thiiii...ng iiiissss... chan...g...ing... in...ssssside..." _

_Catherine noticed that the man was slowly moving his head upwards in order to have his eyes meet the other pair that was staring right at him. It looked like he was trying really hard to get her attention._

_The tactic worked as the woman noticed. Catherine moved back __at once__ to a reasonable distance as she was able to see the man's face for the first time. Once she locked her beautiful green eyes on his, her face changed to express one feeling; pure shock. __She gasped at what she saw and carelessly dropped the phone that she held in her grasp. Those hands instinctively came up and over her mouth as she could say the only thing that popped into her mind once meeting those eyes._

_"Vincent..."_

_The man heard the name escape from the beautiful woman kneeling in front of him. It seemed that Catherine uttering that name caused the man to remember something from his past, perhaps a memory of him and her together. As he was groaning and gasping for air, he whispered a long-forgotten name on his lips._

_"Catherine..."_

_The scene quickly changed as Catherine saw that his appearance changed with gnarly claws coming out from his distorted, discolored fingers that had patches of what seemed to be fine hair in various places. His face also displayed the same type of discoloration as it was also altered a bit; disfigured with non-natural colors, various enlarged blood veins spreading across, and skin abnormalities starting to form. The creature's eyelids fluttered open to reveal his piercing yellow eyes, signaling that he was no longer a man but a beast with no pity for humanity._

_"Vincent, it's ok! I am here, your Catherine. You seemed to remember me," Catherine's voice echoed with a calm and soothe rationale as she approached the transforming figure. She tried to put a hand on his broad shoulders to soothe him and see if he could transform. In truth, the result was the complete opposite. _

_Before she knew it, this newly transformed Vincent started to attack her. The man-beast didn't make any eye contact as his claws swipe across the woman's abdomen hard. She noticed that pain from the attack was immediate as the stingy feeling of bare flesh being exposed to the crisp night air started to overtake her consciousness. She looked down to see that he had left a series of deep cuts that began to bleed out a dark liquid. However, the brunette didn't have much time to assess the injuries as the creature continued his blitz, now striking her face with the same set of fierce claws, causing the same effects. Suffering from the shock and onset of severe pain, Catherine took notice at what was the beast's intentions of trying to thrust his claws into her chest to create deep puncture wounds at the last minute. The injured woman haphazardly placed her arms around her chest and twisted her body in hopes that the most vital region of her body would be spared from the attack. However, she noticed it didn't completely defend her from the attack as the beast was able thrust his paws into the upper left side of her belly, just mere inches from her lungs, creating a burning sensation throughout that region._

_Catherine fell down as her fresh wounds caused the agonizing pain to throbbed throughout her body. Her breathing became shallow as she was losing lots of blood and conscious. She saw that her beloved Vincent was moving closer to the injured woman as he licked his augmented incisors._

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, VINCENT!"

Catherine screamed as she abruptly sat up in her hospital bed. _It was only a dream!_, she concluded as she panted wildly after experiencing the surreal nightmare. It took her a couple moments to calm down since the dream was deeply vivid, almost like she actually experienced the events. Once she was assuaged, she noticed that she was in an unusual place. She looked around to see that the room was bare with a few pieces of furniture and white walls with one or two pictures. The brunette also noticed there was a lot of machinery behind her, constantly beeping to indicate her heartbeat.

_**Wait a minute!** How did she end up in a hospital?_

In the midst of her deep thoughts, the woman didn't notice that a group of people hastily rushed into the room. The group, which was composed of Tess, Heather, and J.T., stopped by the side of her bed.

"Cat, you are awake! How are you?" Tess asked in the hopes that everything was alright.

The woman in the bed turned her eyes towards her friend, responding lightly, "I think I am ok. I feel lightheaded and weak at the same time like I lost a lot of energy or something." She took a minute or two to survey her body by lifting the covers slightly up. The dark brown haired woman noticed that her entire abdomen was bandaged up tightly. Thank god that it was the only region she could see that was covered in bandages. However, why only that region? Her face started to pale at the "what happened" scenarios that were running through her head.

"Thank god you are finally awake," her sister meekly cheered as the chirper young woman carefully gave her bigger sister the most awkward hug you could give to a seriously injured patient, "The doctors were unsure when you would be able to wake up after all the injures you obtained and the surgeries you had to go through."

Catherine's eyes shot up at the mention of "surgeries" as her face started to turn grim. "What do you mean "surgeries"?," the injured woman sternly questioned her sister, "Did I get shot by a bullet?"

"No, you didn't, Cat." Tess spoke up quickly and quietly, "It was much worse. We don't know a lot of details as the person who reported the accident left before the paramedics could reach you. However, you were pretty badly injured as the doctors said that you had near fatal puncture wounds near your lungs. Also, there were some pretty deep lacerations running across your abdomen region. The doctor said that you were lucky that someone noticed your condition right away. If the medics came to the scene couple of minutes later than they did, you probably would be dead."

She closed her eyes to try to the remember the events of last night. Once closed, memories started to flash throughout the thin layers of her inner eye lids. Different memories flashed by.

_A seemly tall man with earth-colored clothing crotched down to the ground, holding himself tightly as if he was in immense pain._

_Bending down to see if the man was ok._

_Looking at his face and noticing the familiarity in his eyes._

**Vincent.**

Cold sweat began to run down along the edge of Catherine's face. The first person to notice that something was disturbing the woman, who was scared by these haunting memories, was the one person who hadn't said anything yet; J.T. The plump science professor sported a worrisome look as he asked, "Cat, are you ok? Are you recalling the events of last night? Can you tell us about them?"

She didn't have a chance to answer J.T.'s questions as the group was interrupted by a captivating voice from the doorway. "Cat, I am sorry that I am late. I had to send some officers to the crime scene of where your attack happened to see if they could get any evidence. On top of that, I had to file a bunch of paperwork and talk to various members of the department about your case," the good-looking ADA informed her as he came closer to the other side of her bed, carrying a bouquet of gorgeous red roses in his right hand. He continued on, "I came as soon as I was freed from my obligations. How are you doing? How long have you been up?" He reached up and took a hold of the only other hand that wasn't occupied.

Catherine stared at his hand on hers with a puzzled expression. Scratch that, she was speechless at the sudden amount of tender care and worrying that the injured lady was receiving from a former enemy.

_ I guess he is trying to show he has become a changed man. But, why is he overly affectionate? Did he really need forgiveness that badly?_

Someone cleared their throat that broke Cat from her thoughts. "I am sorry to disturb this touching scene," a tall man with short chocolate-colored hair spoke as he stood by the doorway, "I see that you are awake Ms. Chandler. My name is Dr. Jonathan Brown and I am the doctor who has been assigned to assist you in your recovery. I was wondering if I could examine and talk to you _**alone**_ for a short while." Dr. Brown turned to face the group with a glare to give them the notice that his request was very serious.

Her perky little sister was the first person in the group to respond to the request, "Right, right. I leave you to be with the doctor. I will be outside if you need anything. Just call, but be careful with the limited strength you have, and I will be there, I mean here." Heather reconfirmed her promise and her devotion to her bigger sister by placing a light kiss on the top of Cat's head. Although her statement was a tad annoying, the rest of the group agreed with it. Tess placed a kiss on her best friend's face right after Heather as J.T. just gave a light pat on her left shoulder.

The group began to file out of the room sans Gabe. Catherine noticed the suave law official was trying to find a spot to place the red roses in between all the gifts and well wishes she received from loved ones and co-workers. One of the gifts that stuck out was an enormous yet beautiful bouquet that had pink peonies, powerful proteas, red and yellow yarrows, and bold black eye susans. It was an odd mixture yet magnificent. Sensing that Catherine was in love with the wild arrangement, the black haired ADA dumped the roses into the same vase as the others. At least maybe she could fall in love with his roses and maybe with him...

..._**However,**_ that was a dream that may never come true. At that thought, Gabe snapped back to reality and turned to face the beautiful woman laying in the bed, placing both his hands on top of her tiny ones. He began to speak, wishing that his words would reassure her.

"Catherine, I will always have your back. Abilities or no abilities, I will always protect you if you willing to let me in. I care deeply for you ever since that day you rescue me. Will you let me protect you?"

Gabe asked in hushed tones so the doctor checking her vital signals on the nearby computers and monitors wouldn't hear anything he was saying. The woman just nodded slightly, confused at what he was asking and what he really wanted. She only mouthed one word to him: "Sure".

That one word, even if it was tiny, made Gabe's heart skip a beat. The ends of his mouth were raised upwards into a bright smile. He was happy and thankful that hopefully, she was going to let him into his heart.

The doctor noticed the hundred watt smile on the guy's face as he was leaving and turned to Catherine to tease her a bit. "He must be your boyfriend. I haven't seen so much love and devotion from one guy before. You must be a lucky girl." He laughed a little as he started to check the bandages on her face and abdomen. Catherine just rolled her eyes and sighed, "Har har, very funny. I would be his girlfriend if the world was ending. He is only my boss at work, nothing too special."

"You never know," the doctor continued the amusing conversation while finishing up his observations, "One of the doctors that works on the floor below us is now married to a wonderful nurse. They first hated each other, dreading every minute they spent working together. But, somehow, something clicked that made them want each other. It's kind of weird. Love makes you do funny things.

But enough of the romantic storytelling at New York General, how are you feeling? Do you feel any pain or abnormalities? Can you move a bit?"

Catherine started to move her body little by little, first by trying to sit up with the support of her upper arms and back. She hissed as her abandon started to hurt once she started to move her body upwards. However, she ignored it as she successfully sat up and moved her arms and legs. She continued to experiment on her current body strength and condition.

"I feel fine, I think. I am a bit stiff, weak, and in pain, especially in the abdomen region. However, I believe that it will be gone as soon as I get out of this bed and return to work. How soon will that be?" Catherine secretly hoped that she could return to work as soon as tomorrow. The brunette had a mission to find out about that blonde-haired creature she ran into yesterday. That thing might know where Vincent is!

The doctor recorded the final bits of his observation into her medical charts before responding. "I don't know how to really to tell you this, so I am going to try to tell you the truth," he announced, scratching the back of his head to relieve the anxiety that was building up, "I think it's best if you stayed here in in-patient for a week or so. The injuries you obtained were very serious, requiring you to be in the operating room for over two hours."

The long-haired beauty was shocked at the doctor's assessment. "Wait, wait, wait. Can I ask what happened to me? Everything about last night is still a blur to me."

The doctor nodded, taking a hand mirror from a nearby shelf and sitting down in one of the chairs that sparsely decorated the room. "You were involved in a near-fatal accident with something I can't really describe. When you came in by ambulance to the emergency operating room, you were covered in mass amounts of blood and scratches that were too enormous to be caused by an ordinary animal living in New York City," he explained while lifting the mirror up to show her scanty bandage-covered face and the abdominal region," The meds and the team of doctors who worked on your recovery also noticed that there were a series of deep punctures near your lungs. Whoever attacked you missed a critical part of your lungs region by a few inches. If you weren't found in the park by that good samaritan at the time he or she did, you might be dead now as the shock of losing so much blood and those wounds near your lungs made your systems began to shut down. You are very lucky."

_Scratches?_

_Enormous? _

_An animal living in New York City?_

These words screamed inside Catherine's head while the doctor told about her wounds and miracle rescue. Couldn't it be? **No way!** The beautiful brunette silently recalled the dream she had before waking up. A dream of her encountering a man who turned into a beast, attacking her on a sidewalk. Her face began to turn pale and her hands shook at the thought that Vincent, of anyone who could do such a thing, was the one who attacked her.


	20. Waiting

**_Author's Note:_** Hey everyone. Another week, another chapter! Enjoy! :D Tell me what do you think about it in the review section.

* * *

**_Last time on "Indomitable Hope":_**

_"You were involved in a near-fatal accident with something I can't really describe. When you came in by ambulance to the emergency operating room, you were covered in mass amounts of blood and scratches that were too enormous to be caused by an ordinary animal living in New York City," he explained while lifting the mirror up to show her scanty bandage-covered face and the abdominal region," The meds and the team of doctors who worked on your recovery also noticed that there were a series of deep punctures near your lungs. Whoever attacked you missed a critical part of your lungs region by a few inches. If you weren't found in the park by that good samaritan at the time he or she did, you might be dead now as the shock of losing so much blood and those wounds near your lungs made your systems began to shut down. You are very lucky."_

_Scratches?_

_Enormous?_

_An animal living in New York City?_

_These words screamed inside Catherine's head while the doctor told about her wounds and miracle rescue. Couldn't it be? **No way!** The beautiful brunette silently recalled the dream she had before waking up. A dream of her encountering a man who turned into a beast, attacking her on a sidewalk. Her face began to turn pale and her hands shook at the thought that Vincent, of anyone who could do such a thing, was the one who attacked her._

* * *

"Ms. Chandler, are you ok? Is something bothering you?" the doctor questioned at the sudden reaction of the injured woman sitting in a hospital bed in front of him.

Catherine couldn't believe it. Why would Vincent want to attack her, the one person who swore to her that he would love and protect her with all his heart? Even after all they been through, something didn't add up. Something must have happened when he was captured by "Muirfield" three months ago.

However, she couldn't reveal this revelation to the guy next to her. She didn't know if this doctor was an honest guy or a secret agent working for the heinous government organization. Taking a couple deep breaths to clear her head, Catherine coolly answered the doctor.

"I am fine, actually. I am just thinking about the events of last night. But, nothing is coming up. I'm sorry. If I do remember something clearly, I let my friends outside know." She smiled sweetly at the guy, hoping that he would take the bait and hush up about the whole incident.

* * *

Meanwhile as Catherine and Dr. Brown were chatting about the incident and the extent of her injuries, J.T., Heather, and Tess stood outside as they waited for the doctor's assessment and permission to continue their visit. Heather just stood by a window next to the room's door that was shielded by a huge blue curtain, praying that nothing serious happened to her beloved sister. The short-haired young adult was also trying to figure out how to tell her sister the biggest secret she found out recently. This secret was important yet dangerous as Heather feared that it could change her relationship with Catherine if handled wrong. She balled a fist up tightly and raised it up to her mouth as if she was lightly kissing it. However, she was using it as a stress reliever as she kept on thinking and waiting.

The other two people who waiting for any news on their beloved friend's condition were crouching down and leaning against a white hospital wall across from Heather. The two lovers stared at each other quietly as they were trying to plan out what to do next. They had no doubt n their minds that the attack last night was Vincent's doing ever since Tess received the details from Heather during a frantic phone call. And, without any doubt, they had to catch him before he attacks someone else.

But, it did leave a lot of questions left open. How could Vincent attack Catherine without recognizing her? It made J.T. ponder the situation more and more. If one person couldn't recognize their "soulmate", then something was up. However, no matter how much they wanted the answers to their dying questions, Vincent, if found, was in no condition right now to answer them.

J.T. and Tess continued to come up with different theories of Vincent's disappearance, staring off into space for a while. They didn't notice that Gabe, who went into an empty hospital room to take care of some "official" police business, returned to the area where they were waiting at. The ADA could see that the three of them were deep in thought while being very desperate for answers. Answers that he wanted so badly, answers to questions that the task force and other precincts were starting to ask as reports of Catherine's attack surfaced on various police morning briefings.

Nevertheless, as much as he wanted to stay there for Catherine, he decided that he would protect her from afar as he had to continue the search for Vincent. He looked down at the couple who were deep in thought, loudly clearing his throat to signal for their attention.

Instantly snapping from her complex meditation, Tess adverted her eyes to his direction.

"I am sorry to disturb you guys. However, I have to head back to work to figure how to proceed with Catherine's attack. Before I leave, I would like to talk to Tess privately, if you don't mind? It's a work thing."

Gabe diverted his attention to Tess in hopes that she would agree to participate. Tess eventually agreed nonchalantly, standing up from her spot to follow the ADA into an empty room.

"Thanks for allowing to me to discussion work things," Gabe started off as he closed the door to the room so one could overhear their talk nor disturb them. Tess just nodded along vaguely, hoping that the unwanted conversation would end sooner than later.

Gabe continued, "As mentioned in yesterday's briefing, I still want you to interview multimillionaire businessman Curt Winsor. If possible, I want you to conduct it this afternoon right after lunch. I am going to tag alongside you and Luke Conrad. You might be confused in how Curt Winsor and these cases are all related, but time will tell about the true nature of this relationship. I have prepared a list of questions that we need specifically ask him as he is picky about the information he gives out. Do you understand?" Tess just nodded in compliance. "Good, I will see you after lunch at the precinct."

The dark-haired guy placed one of his hands on the doorknob to signal that he was almost done with the chat. "Don't mention to anyone else, including to Catherine. She has too much on her plate with finding out that possibly Vincent was her attacker and the pain he caused to her both physically and emotionally. I can't bear to see her in that much pain..."

"Wait, you said that "possibly Vincent was her attacker", what does that mean? How do you know if or not he is actually the suspect? What evidence do you have?" Tess asked with a suspicious tone. Gabe grimaced a bit as he began to answer them.

"I said "possibly", I have my hunches that it is him. They are just guesses and shouldn't be taken as the absolute truth as we need to do more investigating on the cases. However, as a former beast, I can tell, with ease, what is a vicious animal attack and what isn't. And, hopefully, you are thinking on the same page that these attacks were most likely caused by a Muirfield-created beast like Vincent. We have to investigate more, which I believe there might be more clues at the residence of a former sponsor for this monstrous organization. Please understand that the answers will come with time, please wait patiently."

Tess nodded at Gabe's wise words. But, something else was bothering the middle-aged woman that she had to ask for clarification. "Can you tell me why you suddenly care for Cat a lot lately?" She stared fiercely into his amber-colored irises in hopes to coax the truth out him. But, he slowly downcasted his eyes so he could not make direct eye contact with her as he said these words in a sorrowful tone:

"Because when someone rescues you from entering the gates of Hell, you are eternally grateful to them. You would do anything for them to see their happiness entwined with yours."

* * *

As Gabe was finishing up his short chat with the Tess, the doctor came out to greet Heather and J.T. with the news of Catherine's condition. The doctor kept an eye on his notes while looking at the duo. "I want to say that the worst is over," he began, "But, we aren't out of the clearing yet. Cat's vital signals and outward appearances seem fine but let's see how the next twenty-four hours hold out. The injury first seemed horrible with massive bleeding and gaping wounds, especially near her lung. However, thanks to surgery and the quickness of bringing her to the operating table, she is slowly recovering. The bandages around her face and abdomen area don't show any new blood seeping out. However, I am going to recommend to the head nurse that they should change it within the next hour to prevent future complications and infections. I would also like to see an x-ray of her inners before the day ends to see if how the injured areas are holding up. Are there no objections?" The chocolate-colored hair doctor devoted his full attention to the two people to see what would be their response.

Heather spoke up first, responding lightly, "I don't believe so, doctor. I am so happy that she is alive despite being attacked viciously by a monster." J.T. just snarked at Heather's mention of a "monster" as Vincent was far from being a monster. He was just influenced by a truly real monster named Muirfield.

"Thank you, Ms. Chandler. I do believe that your sister wants to resume the option of having visitors come and see her. I would advise that maybe you should go in first by yourself. I don't think she knew the true identity of the person who donated blood for her operation. I don't know how she will respond that the blood she received wasn't from you because your blood types weren't a complete match."

Heather just nodded to confirm the doctor's words as she began to walk in the direction of her sister's room, ignoring the chubby professor's confused expression of needing more information on the situation unraveling before him.


	21. Family is Stronger Than Blood

**_Author's Note: _**Another week, another chapter. A lot of adorable and tender sisterly bonding happens between Catherine and Heather in this chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

**_Last Time on "Indomitable Hope":_**

_"Thank you, Ms. Chandler. I do believe that your sister wants to resume the option of having visitors come and see her. I would advise that maybe you should go in first by yourself. I don't think she knew the true identity of the person who donated blood for her operation. I don't know how she will respond that the blood she recieved wasn't from you because your blood types weren't a complete match."_

_Heather just nodded to confirm the doctor's words as she began to walk in the direction of her sister's room, ignoring the chubby professor's confused expression of needing more information on the situation unravelling before him._

* * *

Heather turned the doorknob slowly, frowning at the need to tell Catherine the truth. The younger Chandler found out this little secret before her father died from a mysterious accident near Time Squares that happened at the same time of Vincent's disappearance. A desperate move to save Thomas Chandler's life, the doctors collected blood from Catherine in hopes that her blood could save him. Unfortunately, their blood types didn't match, making her sister's blood useless, something that one of the nurses told Heather when she visited her father's hospital bedside hours before he died.

This revelation haunted Heather ever since that day because she didn't know how to clearly identify her relationship with Catherine Chandler now. What words could exactly describe it? Ever since she could remember, Catherine was the best sister anyone could ask for as she was always there for Heather, took care of the younger Chandler, and protected her from danger. But, now knowing, thanks to genetic tests, that Catherine and her didn't share the same father made Heather confused. Despite the unclarity, the perky young lady decided that she had to bite the bullet and tell Catherine everything with hopes that the wise woman had a well-thought out approach to this dilemma.

Building up her inner courage, Heather firmly gripped the doorknob even more than before as she opened the door and entered the room. She noticed that Catherine kept on staring at the beautiful yet odd flower arrangement that was in the center of the table with flowers and gifts from well-wishers. The shorter woman noticed that the arrangement had a new addition to the mixture; Gabe's red roses. The younger Chandler sister ignored the small yet pesky detail as she boldly walked up towards her sister's bedside as she placed her tiny hands on top of Catherine's.

_It was now or never_, Heather thought as she began the dreaded explanation with a truthful yet upbeat direction.

"Catherine, I want to know that you will always be the best big sister I ever had even though things might be difficult after this moment," the short-haired woman reaffirmed her love for the older woman. However, Catherine looked at her sister with a confused expression written all over her face as she couldn't tell where in the hell did all this come from.

Ignoring her older sister's facial expression, the younger sister breath deeply to build up some courage. Heather continued to speak, thoughtfully choosing the right words, "I will always love you and hopefully you will continue to do so. Ever since I was a little, I always wanted us to be upfront and honest to each other no matter what the situation may be. Sometimes, even in all honesty, our words have hurt each other to the point that we couldn't talk to each for a couple days in order to let things boil down between the two of us. Nevertheless, we could never stop talking to each other for an eternity because we loved each other too much to really hate each other. Eventually, we forgive and forget the words or incidents that made us mad at each other. Today is no different because you might be mad at me after telling you the truth. But understand that it is necessary. Yet, I don't our relationship to fully fall apart after this moment."

Heather's eyes began to water as her voice cracked at times when she started to approach those fateful words.

"You are probably thinking about who in the hell gave you those uniquely beautiful flowers over there. I can tell you that I know who it is; they were from your real father and the only possible person who could save your life by donating their blood," Heather continued to explain as the tears began to roll down even faster and in greater sizes, "You might be saying in that pretty little head of yours that I must be crazy, only Thomas Chandler is your father and he couldn't possibly gave you any of his blood because he is dead. However, in truth, Thomas Chandler wasn't your real father. I found this out last spring when the doctors were trying to save dad's life with your blood. However, they couldn't use it because the hemoglobins in yours didn't match dad's. The doctor showed me the the results and explained it further to me, proving that you couldn't be Thomas Chandler's biological daughter.

I wanted to tell you last spring when dad died. However, I couldn't gather the courage to confess this as you were suffering at the same time. Everyday, I would see you fluctuate from different moods; you would be all depressed and moody one day and in a craze mood the next. I feared that I could add more pain to the emotional turbulence that you already were experiencing with Vincent's disappearance.

However, this doesn't mean the end of our relationship, right? I still consider you to be my big sister even if you don't. To me, you have gone up and above the standard duties of being a sister. You comforted me when Darius died, you taught me how to live life, and you shielded me from danger. I will always greatly value for what you did for me."

Heather took a pause to let Catherine digest the information comfortably and in a timely fashion. Heather could noticed that Catherine's emotions changed while the short-haired woman talked. From a mouth partially opened from being shocked to tiny droplets of tears formed on the brows to represent the pain and sadness the older woman felt, the younger sister tried her best to carefully planned her words to match her sister's emotions.

"Come here and give me a hug," Catherine quietly murmured at the end of Heather's long speech. Not quite hearing what the woman in the hospital bed said, Heather leaned forward to ask.

"Hm, what did you say?"

Catherine repeated the words again but with a boisterous volume full of love and affection, "I said, Come here and give me a hug".

At that moment, the older sister grabbed Heather's arm with fierceness and yanked her down, enveloping her beloved sister in a huge hug. During the embrace, Catherine spoke with such love and admiration of her younger sister's strength.

"Heather, Heather," the older woman simply spoke as she pat the back of her sister's head, "Thank you for telling me this. It was difficult for you to speak about this ordeal. It even made you afraid of what would the future look like between the two of us. I really do appreciate that you came out and told me the truth with such bravery.

This is a lot to take in because it changes the way how I look at life," the long haired woman went on with such calamity, "However, I will ALWAYS, repeat, ALWAYS think of you as my sister. To me, family means much more than sharing the same blood or DNA. I learned this when mom died ten years ago. I cannot forget how important you are to me. You have taught me so much, protected me, and had my back when I got in trouble, especially recently. And for that, I want to apologize because I didn't tell you everything because of my fears that you would run out and tell the world about Vincent."

The younger woman retorted back, "Don't be sorry. You were only protecting me and Vincent from dangers untold. You were right, I could of got into serious trouble if I knew your relationship. Just look at the stuff you got yourself into!" At that end of that statement, Heather laughed a little as she tried to steer the conversation into a lighthearted direction. "Nevertheless," she continued, "Don't forgot that I would never abandon you or ever tell someone else the secrets you hold. I can never turn my back on you just because of dumb reasons. Just trust me wholeheartedly, ok?"

Catherine smiled at her sister's bold promise, "I will. I learned now that you will never ever turn your back and tell the secrets that I hold because family doesn't do that. I should of trust you back than when I first met Vincent. But, what is the past is the past. Let's now focus on the promises of tomorrow by trusting each other more often."

With that promise, the detective held out a pinky from the other hand and brought to Heather's eye level to signal to physically promise to kept their words. Heather caught sight of the motion and raised her head as she lifted and latched her pinky on to her sister's softly, smiling at their new hopes for the future.

Once finished, the older sister nodded and then retreated her hand back to her side when it felt ok to end the pinky swearing. She then looked at the wild arrangement of flowers near her bedside and started to wondered.

"I wonder who is my real father then?"

Cat began to think about the fact that Thomas Chandler, someone who she regarded as an important father figure in her life, wasn't her real biological father. She always thought her mom was a person of virtue as anyone in the field of science would be honest and mature about their work and maybe their social life. Nevertheless, she deliberated internally if her father was the person who gave her the beautiful yet odd flowers.

"I don't know who it is, to be honest," Heather replied faintly, "I mean, I was here about a hour after the hospital called me to tell about how you got into a nasty accident. However, I heard that someone donated their blood when you were on the operating table as you lost a lot of it during the attack. The doctor told me that the guy came quickly, gave his blood, and then left immediately after the doctor told him he was finished. I bet you that we can find his name somewhere on your medical charts. I wonder where I can find this information?"

The younger woman started to snope around the room in order to find any clues about the mysterious man. It was a difficult search, she thought, as a lot of medical files today are now store digitally on computers that required a series of secure logins.

Maybe, **_just_** maybe she could find something laying around in the room.

She continued to search high and low for anything. When Heather reached a small desk by one of the big windows near the doorway, she noticed that there were some sort of notes and paperwork scattered across the desk.

"Hey Cat, I think I found something," Heather exclaimed as she examined the papers for any red flags. She noticed that on a yellow post-it note attached to a paper about blood donation there was a name and phone number. It read:

"IF THE PATIENT NEEDS MORE BLOOD, PLEASE CALL ROBERT REYNOLDS at 301-5643."

She took a minute to realized that this "Robert Reynolds" might be Cat's dad. She then turned around and asked the older woman about this guy.

"Hey Cat, do you know a Robert Reynolds? He might be your father."


	22. The Calm Before the Storm

**Author's Note: **I want to thank everyone who is continuing to read this story! This story just reached it 6,000th view sometime last week! I was really shocked and happy when I saw that number on the stats page! I never really imagined that these many people would read one of my works as I don't usually write fanfics.

What do you guys like or not like about the story so far? Please R&amp;R!

Enjoy this chapter!

* * *

_**Last Time on "Indomitable Hope":**_

_"Wait, you said that "possibly Vincent was her attacker", what does that mean? How do you know if or not he is actually the suspect? What evidence do you have?" Tess asked with a suspicious tone. Gabe grimaced a bit as he began to answer them._

_"I said "possibly", I have my hunches that it is him. They are just guesses and shouldn't be taken as the absolute truth as we need to do more investigating on the cases. However, as a former beast, I can tell, with ease, what is a vicious animal attack and what isn't. And hopefully, you are thinking on the same page that these attacks were most likely caused by a Muirfield-created beast like Vincent. We have to investigate more, which I believe there might be more clues at the residence of a former sponsor for this monstrous organization. Please understand that the answers will come with time, please wait patiently."_

_Tess nodded at Gabe's wise words. But, something else was bothering the middle-aged woman that she had to ask for clarification. "Can you tell me why you suddenly care for Cat a lot lately?" She stared fiercely into his amber-colored irises in hopes to coax the truth out him. But, he slowly downcasted his eyes so he could not make direct eye contact with her as he said these words in a sorrowful tone:_

_"Because when someone rescues you from entering the gates of Hell, you are eternally grateful to them. You would do anything for them to see their happiness entwined with yours."_

* * *

Tess recounted the conversation in the empty hospital room as she was riding in Gabe's car. The woman was still confused about his ulterior motives as she didn't understand why they were heading to interview Curt Windsor. She just sat there while staring out the window, pondering how in the world did Gabe make a solid connection between Mr. Windsor and Vincent.

"I know you two have lots of questions about this guy," Gabe started to speak in a neutral tone while driving the car towards the Windsor manor on the eastern edge of Long Island, "However, please stick to the list of questions I gave Tess. More details will come forward in due time, just be patient."

With that, Gabe continued to drive in silence. He looked up at his rearview mirror to see that the other passenger in the car, Luke Conrad, was reading that appear noted on the investigation. He then saw from the right side mirror that Tess was not enjoying this secret quest one bit. He knew that Tess was the type of person who wanted answers right away when she felt something suspicious. He could sense that the tall woman didn't want to be patient from her mixed expressions of boredom and frustration.

_Just wait a bit more, Tess_, Gabe thought as he concentrated on the road ahead of him, _Things might change after today if we play our cards right._

Meanwhile, Tess sighed as she took a well-folded piece of paper out from one of the main coat pockets. She unfolded the paper and grumbled at the sight of them as they were so basic and mind-numbing. The detectives would never go anywhere in this investigation if they ask questions like "What was your involvement with the agency Muirfield?", a lukewarm opening to interviewing a former financial supporter to the crooked agency. However, there was little to no questions in the list that was related to the cross-species DNA project.

They arrived at the manor shortly afterward, pulling up the front door casually. Gabe began to instruct while driving near the roundabout that in front of the main door.

"Remember to stick to the questions. Never go off track. Curt Windsor is a type of guy who gets easily suspicious about almost everything. If you even say one word the wrong way, he will overreact and might not answer any future questions. Let's say that his work and life is a well-kept secret. He doesn't know that we are here to investigate. Keep it polite and simple."

Something didn't add up though. The man in the back figured it out faster than Tess and piped up. "How about you, Mr. Lowren. What will you do? I assuming that you are not going to join us for the questioning."

_**A-ha**_, that was what was missing, what was Gabe going to while Tess and Luke went out and investigate?

Noticing how the older detective approached the matter with a firm question, Gabe just cooly replied, "You are correct, Mr. Conrad, I am not going to join you for this session. I got some important phone calls I have to make before the day is up. And also, Mr. Windsor and I don't have the best relationship in the world and I would like to avoid him right now."

With that, the car slowly parked in front of the manor's front door.

_Something was fishy_, Tess thought as the car pulled up to reveal a huge white house with lots of greenery surrounding it. The place seemed well-kept as there weren't any signs of damage or anything overgrown. However, there was an air of mystery hanging over it, something that the woman detective couldn't put her finger on it. She shook the thought off as she started to collect her stuff from the car's floor.

"If you need anything, please call me. And if it's urgent, don't hesitate to keep calling me and leaving messages in my inbox."

Gabe gave his final instructions to the pair as a signal to get out of the car. Taking the hint, Tess and Luke opened the doors on each side of the car and got out. Together, they headed towards the door and rang the doorbell. They noticed that once they closed the car doors, Gabe turned the car back on and drove off as fast as he could.

Tess turned around to face the pavement where the car they rode in was there just moments ago. She was weirded out by the fact that the suave ADA left without any hesitant; like he wasn't going to do what he said he wanted to do. As the tall woman detective pondered over Gabe's future actions, a young voice chimed in through her thoughts.

"Hello, how may I help you?" a young maid greeted with no emotion. She was pretty mousy with her long blond hair placed in a ponytail, short stature, and dressed in the typically white, frilly dress with a bonnet, black shoes, frilly apron, and long white socks.

The older detective eagerly decided that he was the one to response to the maid. "Hello, my name is Luke Conrad and this is my partner Tess Vargas. We would like to talk to Mr. Windsor. Is he here by any chance?"

The maid's face didn't change from the emotionless expression when she first greeted them as she answered. "I'm sorry, Mr. Windsor doesn't take visitors or even speak to anyone. I don't know really how to reach him. I'm sorry".

Starting to get to annoy with the maid, Tess stubbornly took out her badge and placed in front of the maid's eyes. "What my partner is trying to say is that we are from the New York Police Department and we need to talk to Mr. Windsor about one of our investigations. It is not a question of "ifs" or "buts", we need to talk to him now. It's very important and cannot wait for an appointment of some sorts."

The mousy maid was taken back by the brazen approach. "If you could follow me this way into the waiting room, I am sure I can see if Mr. Windsor would like to talk to you guys," the blonde-haired maid softly spoke, afraid of what would Tess do if the maid continued to say no to their requests. She gestured for them to come in and lead them to the said location.

* * *

Once the two detectives shut the door, the suave ADA drove off in a hurry to a location that wasn't noticeable. He was praying that it wasn't Curt himself who would open the door and see Gabe. It was a small possibility but he didn't want to chance it. Because if it was indeed Mr. Windsor, everyone involved would be in trouble, especially Gabe. See, what the black-haired ADA knew that Tess and Luke didn't know was that Curt possessed the capacity to transform himself into a beast and he had special abilities. Abilities that Gabe once had and made everyone fear him.

However, Gabe didn't plan to stick around. Unlike his promise to a few detectives who drove in his car earlier, he wasn't going to stay in his car and make some calls. No, he wanted something more. He wanted to do his own investigation in the connection between Curt Windsor and Muirfield's cross-species DNA. The assistant district attorney had heard reports from the mouths of Murifield agents who used to be around him that the former financial sponsor had built a secret lab somewhere in his manor. Although he didn't possess special abilities anymore, he was determined to use his natural-born detective skills to find the lab.

Beast or no beast, Gabe had to get into that lab to find more answers!


	23. Meeting Mr Windsor with Danger

**Author's Note:** Time for another time. This time, we meet the mysterious Mr. Windsor while the "curious as a cat" original character Luke Conrad gets himself into trouble.

Enjoy!

* * *

Tess looked around the vastly decorative living room where Mr. Conrad and her were sitting, waiting for Mr. Windsor. In her hands sat a tiny pink-colored china teacup that contained lukewarm tea inside. Tess took another sip of the tea while continuing to gaze. She noticed that her partner was jotting down notes his small notepad.

_Wait, is he trying to record every little single detail for the daily briefing later? _Tess scoffed at her partner's motives, _What a stupid move. Mr. Conrad, you shouldn't raise any suspicions, especially in this kind of setting._

The brunette sighed as she placed the elegant teacup down on the wooden table before her. All the sudden, she heard someone clearing their throat to signal for attention. Tess looked up and noticed that it was Curt Windsor, dressed in a classic black business suit and wearing simple black slippers.

The older male detective also took notice of Windsor's entrance and hastily raced up to the billionaire, sticking out one of his hands to greet Mr. Windsor. "It is nice to meet you, Mr. Windsor," the salt and pepper haired man greeted with a smile, "My name is Detective Luke Conrad, I am with the New York Police Department. This is my partner, Detective Tess Vargas. You are probably thinking why in the hell did the police department show up here! We are clueless as you as we don't know either why we are here. But, our boss thinks you might know anything about the dead jogger's case in Riverside Park that happened recently. Do you know about it?"

Before he could answer the anxious detective's question, Mr. Winsor motioned to the eager detective to sit down on the couch while the older man sat down in his favorite chair. He stared at the two detectives with an emotionless face.

"I don't know much details myself, except what is on the news. Care to fill me in with the details?"

Eager as he was, Luke Conrad began to flip through his notes to fully report on the case. While he was skimming through his writings, Curt took out a box of cigars from a brass box in the middle of the wooden table and a simple lighter from one of his jacket's pockets. He offered a cigar to the detectives before placing one gingerly in his mouth. Both Luke and Tess refused his offer as the stern man lit his cigar and began to inhale the tobacco.

"Let's see," the older detective began as he tore his eyes from the book to face the businessman, "A young woman, who was in his mid to late 20s, was found slain in Riverside Park. The cause of death is unknown but there was a lot of blood, deep claw marks, and a series of puncture marks near her heart. My boss thinks that you might have a connection to this attack. We are here to see if it's true or not. Is it?"

Mr. Windsor slowly exhaled the cigar's smoke as he pondered over the details of the detective's report.

"Who is your boss?"

Luke looked at Tess as she answered his question simply, "Assistant District Attorney Gabe Lowen."

Tess' eyes wandered up to glance at the billionaire's face tensing up at that name. At that moment, she could recognize that maybe Mr. Windsor had some sort of a connection to this new beast attack. She kept on looking at him to see if his face could reveal any more clues.

"I don't know about this latest attack in Riverside Park," the brown-haired man smoothly spoke with a slightly bitter tone, "I don't know how Mr. Lowen thinks that I play some sort of role in this. But, I am not involved. Case closed. Do you have any more questions?"

The tall brunette nodded a simple "no" with a bland face. However, her partner seemed that he didn't get his answer thoroughly answered. The petite detective instead starting to look at his notes in order to try to further dig into Windsor's "supposed" connection.

"No, no, no! I have many more questions for you, Mr. Windsor. You see, I did a little digging into your past last night after work. I found out that you, Curt Windsor, was involved with a government research project named Muirfield that was developing a cross-species DNA formula that could transform humans into monsters. You gave them a ton of money in the early days of the project until you and the project manager had a quarrel about something. There were also some publically released internal reports from some government agency that said you also were injected with this cross-species DNA and was able to transform into a beast-like creature.

You cannot hide behind these facts anymore! Maybe it was _**YOU**_ who attacked that defenseless jogger! It was _**YOU**_ who transformed into a murderous beast just to kill innocent people. Is that the truth, Mr. Windsor? Hmmm?"

Shock filled his partner's eyes as Tess raced to place her hands on top of his, motioning for Conrad to stop his allegations before it was too late. She looked at the detective's blue eyes before mouthing "No more, please" with pleading eyes. Luke took the hint and became silence as he looked on to see how Curt would react. By the look of things, it didn't go too well as the millionaire's face became red and his breathing became irregular. The air around them was filled with such emotions as rage and anger. It was at the same time that Tess could sense that something was changing inside of him as his anger swelled up. She tried to pinpoint as the tall detective searched the older man's face for answers.

_His eyes!_ She silently gasped with worried eyes, _They are turning colors. Is he turning... into... a beast? We have to get out of here before it gets too dangerous._

"How. Dare. You!" The millionaire fumed as his anger encapsulated him, "How dare you accuse me of a crime that I simply didn't do. How dare you use my past history to compare to my actions of today. This is why I had to hide from people like you who accuse me of wrongdoings that I didn't do because I was assorted with the wrong crowd back in my youth.

I. Want. You. To. Leave. Now!"

Tess took the hint as she started to gather her belongings. She tugged Luke's hand to motion that they couldn't stall and ask any more questions; it was really time to leave or something bad would happen. But, the salt-and-pepper haired man resisted Tess' recommendation as he refused to leave. Luke stubbornly refused Tess' touch as he stared at the enraged billionaire standing in front of him.

"Are you angry that I am telling the truth, a truth that you don't want to admit. You have hidden in your mansion far too long. It's time that the public and the Police Department know your secrets. How about you share one right now; Did you really kill that jogger?"

Tess couldn't take this anymore. She couldn't just let her partner banter the billionaire far enough until he beasted out. She angrily turned and boldly told Luke, "I know you want to play the part of the hero that saves the city and gets some credit from Gabe. I get that. But, now is not that time. If you continue to be so bold and rattle on with the allegations, you will be in a dangerous position where you will get seriously hurt. Let's go, **NOW**!"

"No, I will not go. I need to know the truth. This isn't about my pride or getting some recognition from the police department! It's about getting justice for that poor woman. I am not going until he spills the beans."

However, it was too late. While the two detectives were arguing with each other, Mr. Windsor began to show signs that he was transforming into something different. His appearance changed as he had claws sprouting from the ends of his fingers, patches of fur at random places throughout his body, discoloration on certain parts of his skin, gnarly teeth sticking out from his mouth, and a twisted, disfigured face. But, his piercing yellow eyes were what got Tess' attention when she spun around to look at him.

"Shit, Luke. We need to get out **RIGHT NOW**!"

Tess didn't hesitate any further as she began to run to the nearest door without Luke. Her partner gasped at the transformed creature in front of him. He had heard about these "beast" creatures before in briefings and from the mouths of his colleagues working on past beast-related cases. But, he never experienced seeing one in real life until now. It was magnificent yet frightening at the same time.

"Oh my god, it's one of those beast-creatures! I have to get pictures of this guy for evidence."

The petite man took out his cell phone and placed the camera a few feet away from the now-transformed Curt Winsor. The beast took notice that he was going to become a side-show attraction for some goofball detective. The creature swung his claws at Luke, successfully knocking his cell phone out of his hand and onto the floor. The beast continued his attack as he now aimed his claws at the salt-and-pepper haired detective. His claws gnashed at the detective's flesh. as blood began to seep from the wounds.

"Uuuuh, what are you doing to me? Can't you control your actions or are you guys truly animals without any humanity?"

Luke gaped at the monster as he laced his arms around the section of his body that was badly wounded. Feeling woozy and weak from the increasing amount of pain, the detective began to crumple to the floor. His partner, who was watching the attack from a safe distance near a doorway, quickly ran up to the detective and bent down.

"I told you if you got too far, it would become dangerous. Now look at you! Ugh!" Tess sighed, trying to think up a solution. "Listen to me carefully and you better stick with my plan." She eyed him vigorously to make sure he was following along each word she was saying. The injured detective just nodded for her to continue on.

"On the count of three, we are going to run to the nearest exit quietly and quickly so that the creature in front of us won't notice our escape. We need to leave this mansion immediately and find Gabe. Do you copy that?"

Luke just nodded, preparing himself for the mad dash away from the hideous creature by propping himself up with his legs and squeezing Tess' hand to let her know that she was in charge.

"Ok, ready?" The brunette woman whispered as she checked one last time that it was safe to flee.

"One...

Two...

THREE!"

As the woman detective finished her countdown, the two scrambled across the room to the exit that would lead them to the front door. They didn't look back as their concentration was more focused towards the things in front of them rather than the back. Also, emotions like fear and panic flooded the pair's minds as they tried to leave hastily, fearing for their lives over caring for the now-transformed Curt who was starting to calm down.

Within minutes, Tess and her injured reached the front door. She checked her surroundings to make sure that Curt wasn't following them. When she didn't see signs of him, she sighed a sigh of relief as she grabbed the handle and turned it hastily.

"How are you doing?" the taller detective asked her partner as she led him out of the place.

"I am doing fine. Just the area where he attacked me hurts a lot."

"We need to get you out of here and get you bandaged immediately. Hopefully, it isn't a deep wound or we have to go the doctor. I might have to think up a story about how you got hurt. In the meantime, let's find a place to hide and call Gabe to pick us up."

Tess gently guided Luke to a spot behind a nearby water fountain where anyone, especially Curt, couldn't see them. They were safe for now. Tess took this opportunity to whip out her phone and start calling the person who could get them out of this area, not noticing a pair of figures coming down the stairwell behind the two detectives.


	24. Investigating

**Author's Note:** Hey guys, long time no see! I haven't updated this story for about six or more months. I have been actually busy as I studied really hard for a Japanese language test that was in December. On top of that, I had cataract surgery during the holidays and I had to prepare for that. And, I was recently discouraged and depressed during the fall. Just work and the people around me made feel like I couldn't do anything right. I felt like a failure but also pushed myself really hard when I was studying for the exam.

I want really to finish this story because I owe my readers that much. Also, I want to write another study for another series. The only way I can do that if I finish this one first. So, here is to 2017 and finishing "Indomitable Hope".

Tell me what you think about this chapter. It took me a long time write this as it was kind of a filler chapter. And also, I haven't seen "Beauty and the Beast" for a loooooooong time (I have yet to see Season 4!). Hopefully, in between my "Shadowhunters" obsession and real life, I can see the final part of BATB.

I want to give a special and dear shout out to **xpetti 4Bemer.** I was really surprised at your PM and your hope to have this story finished. Because of you, I am determined to finish it!

* * *

"Where is an 'unlock service door in the back of a mysterious manor' when you need?" The stubborn ADA questioned softly as he tried to find a way into the large house full of secrets. It took a couple minutes to search all the doors and windows, check the locks, and pray that something would open. The black-haired man finally had his prayers answered when a small door on the side opened up.

_**Aha!** This one is unlocked! Time to enter!_

The ADA crept quietly in, examining the various rooms and decorations for anything unusual. He made sure that no one nearby. He hated the thought of being caught by a maid, especially when he was conducting a search without a warrant. However, this search wasn't about his work or the current case he was investigating on. It was only about his curiosity.

The curly-haired man continued to check each room swiftly. He even checked the closets and any hidden areas in case any evidence or clues pop up to numb his curiosity.

He found what he was looking for in a closet that was located in a room upstairs. Inside, he found a small, locked door. Gabe searched his pockets for something like a paperclip that could easily pick the simple-looking lock. Once he found one in his back pocket, the ADA straightened it and placed it into the keyhole, fiddling with the lock with such caution while turning the door knob.

Success happened a few minutes later when the door popped opened, revealing a set of stairs leading down. Checking his surroundings for the last time to make sure that no one was around, Gabe headed down the stairs. He noticed that there were no switches nor sources of light along the seemingly long walk. The ADA took his time, treading slowly until he reached the final destination

At the bottom of the stairs, Gabe was able to find a light switch and flicked it without hesitation. The room became dimly lit, making Gable able to see the contents of the room. To him, it seemed like it was a laboratory of some sorts.

Gabe observed the room. Though it seemed like it was built a long time ago, the material that filled it was pretty new. He noticed that there was pretty new technology which included some machines that he didn't know about. There was also a desk in the middle of the room that had a bunch of papers and notebooks scattered about.

The black-haired man approached the desk and randomly took out a book to skim through. It seemed like it was about the cross-species experiments that were conducted when Windsor was sponsoring the agency. However, why did it mention his daughter? Wasn's she born after the millionaire left Muirfield? He looked closely at the dates, realizing that these logs were written recently.

_What is going on?_ Gabe thought as he continued to read on, not noticing a pair of figures coming down the stairwell behind him.

* * *

The tall, handsome man didn't know how to response to the kiss. His eyes widen in shock as Tori's lips touched his. This woman was so bold to do such a daring move! Especially when he couldn't remember anything else clearly!

Was this how she said hi? Was it how she reassured that everything was going to be ok? Either way, it was a funny way to show it.

It ended as quickly as it started. The long haired women pulled away and gave the man a quick smirk. She gazed into his eyes. "Let me show you around the mansion since this will be your home for a while."

"Wait, what you do you mean "my home"?" Vincent quickly spluttered.

"Well, you don't have anywhere else to go? You said yourself that you don't remember your home or have any memories of your life before yesterday," Tori answered gently, "I just think you should stay here until you remember something. Or unless you are ready to leave. You don't want to live out in the streets, don't you?" Vincent mouthed a simple "no" as Tori continued, "Good. Stay here till you are ready. I don't think my father would mind. Let me take you on a tour around the place!"

The elegant redhead grabbed one of Vincent's hand without hesitation as she guided him to the main doors. As soon as they reached the hallway, Tori began to give Vincent a tour of the place. "Your room is located inside the guest suite that is located on the eastern side of the manor. Mine is in the center and my dad's suite is in the western half. I advise you to stay out of that part because my dad will get pissed off if you invade his space. He is a very private person when it comes to his affairs."

Vincent continued to listen as he looked around. The place wasn't too shabby. There were fine tapestry and paintings all over the walls. He noticed that the gorgeous redhead was guiding him towards a large stairwell built with the finest mahogany wood that he ever saw. They started to head down when Tori stopped all a sudden.

"Looks like my dad has visitors," Tori spoke as she stared down, sensing the presence of an unknown group of people.

"Visitors?"

"Yeah. I can sense that there is a female and male in the living room. Perhaps it's a business meeting? But, that would be odd. My dad would inform me if he had any guests over." She shrugged while heading up the stairs, grabbing Vincent's hand in the process. "Let me take you to the secret labs instead."

The guy just followed her, not knowing what to expect.

The pair walked for a short while till the pair reached another set of stairs. This one was hidden behind a regular closet door next to the guest rooms. Once Tori unlocked the door, Vincent peered inside to see a set of steel stairs spiraling down to an unknown destination. The fear of not knowing where this woman was going to take him made him nervous. Nevertheless, he calmed his anxiety down with reason; he should trust the woman for she took him in, feed him, and even gave him her trust. He resolved his fears and let Tori continue to tug him to the destination below.

As soon as Tori made sure the door behind them was properly closed, she led Vincent down delicately. "This lab is top secret. My dad doesn't really let in anyone else except me. It's because he works on beast testing and antidotes here.

Although he severed his ties with Muirfield long ago, my dad tries to find a cure to our condition. Sometimes he tests his experiments on himself and sometimes on me. Sadly, we haven't been successful in really curing ourselves of our curse. The most we got out of an antidote is a day of being "normal", no beasting out whatsoever."

The pair finally reached the bottom of the stairs. Vincent looked around his surroundings. The "lab" was pretty bleak with gray walls and dim lighting. There was stood a table in front of the pair with a bunch of papers and notebooks scattered across the table.

Vincent sensed that there was another person nearby. He looked at the woman beside him who recognized the same presence. She closed her to concentrate on this stranger's heartbeat. Tori followed the sound until she reached the other side of the room. It seemed like she must have found the person as Tori grabbed something with the shape of a person and dragged it along with her until the redhead rejoined Vincent's side.

The tall woman shoved the black haired man to the ground as she eyed him intensely. "It's nice to be joining us, ADA Gabe Lowan. What are you doing, sneaking down here into this restricted labs? Hm?"

Gabe turned his head upwards to look at her. "Hmm, nothing particularly. It's not really any of your business."

He noticed a tall man with dark brown hair by the redhead's side. He didn't notice it at first. But, when Gabe focused his concentration on the man's feature, he gasped.

"Vincent Keller? Is that you? Tori, what in hell are you doing with him?"

Tori stared at him, "He has no place to go and no one to turn to. So, being a kind and caring person that I am, I decided to give him shelter. I am going to ask you again, what are you doing where? What investigation are you conducting now?"

"It's none of your damn business. It's official police business that I can't tell you about."

The ADA abruptly stood up and turn his back to the woman, trying to find any clues to his "investigation".

"Then I suggest that you tell me** right now** or leave immediately," she splatted as she began to transform into her beast form. The once gorgeous woman grabbed one of Gabe's shoulders fiercely with a now-transformed clawed hand. This made him instantly turn around to face her. That was the moment she noticed something was different. Yes, he wasn't the same Gabe that she knew before.

"Something has changed about you. I can sense it." She closed her eyes once more to concentrate on the difference. She reopened her eyes and stared back into his. "I see. It's looks like you, Mr. Lowran, became a normal human being. You must have lost your abilities as a beast?"

This woman was starting to get under his skin. How dare he point his new found weakness out loud. He growled, "Again, it's none of your damn business. Why should I answer any of your questions if you can't answer mine?"

Tori lurched over and seized the front part of Gabe's shirt with one hand. The other was outstretched with its claws a mere inch away from the young ADA's face. "Because if you don't answer mine, I will claw you until you die. Furthermore, it seems you can't even defend yourself anymore. How pathetic!

I suggest you leave right this moment or I _**W****ILL**_ shred you to pieces."

With that, Tori retracted her clawed hand in hopes that the curly haired ADA would get the hint and leave.

Fear and defeat crept into Gabe's eyes. "I guess you win, Tori. I will leave at once. But, mark my words, I will find out what you and your dad are up to and see if it's obstructing the peace of New York City." Gabe turned around and exited the same way he entered.

Tori smirked as she saw him leave. She looked at Vincent as she spoke, "Well, I guess that is over. Let's go to the kitchen and get some lunch."

However, Vincent was in deep thought as he was confused about this Gabe person. "Who was he?" The dark-haired man swore for a slight moment that he saw the black-haired person before. However, he had a feeling that they weren't the best of friends. Maybe enemies?

"He was no one. Don't worry about him. Let's go! I am S-T-A-R-V-I-N-G!"


	25. Hazily Putting the Pieces Together

**Author's Note: **Here is the next chapter. Work started back up after the holidays and I been busy with other things. Also, this been a hard chapter to write. Maybe because I thought this chapter to be a filler. Maybe because of some elements, like the ending, were difficult because I didn't know how I would have Robert and Gabe properly introduce each other.

Anyways, enjoy! I hope you like the Disney reference I wrote in!

* * *

**_Last Time on "Indomitable Hope"_**

_I suggest you leave right this moment or I **WILL** shred you to pieces."_

_Fear and defeat crept into Gabe's eyes. "I guess you win, Tori. I will leave at once. But, mark my words, I will find out what you and your dad are up to and see if it's obstructing the peace of New York City." Gabe turned around and exited the same way he entered._

* * *

Gabe walked out of the manor in the same way of how he entered. Once outside, Gabe spotted Tess and her partner near the water fountain. He noticed that Luke was walking particularly funny, perhaps he was injured?

As soon as he saw Luke's condition, Gabe wasted no time as he started to jog towards the pair. "What happened?" he asked in a voice that permeated with concern. He put his arm around Luke's shoulder to help support the other detective better as Gabe's black eyes stared back into the woman's hazel eyes, waiting impatiently for her answer.

Tess looked at him and whispered back loudly, "Well, you should have told me that Mr. Windsor has the abilities to transform into a beast. He has a temper that you don't want to mess with as this unlucky fellow found out."

Gabe mouthed "Oh, I see" as he directed his eyes back on his injured comrade. He wondered how he was doing; if there were any problems. Gabe glanced at his eyes and asked: "Detective Conrad, are you ok?"

The salt-and-pepper hair detective nodded as Gabe lead him to sit down on the ledge of the water fountain. The younger man looked back at the woman as he began to direct her on what they were going to do next. "Ok, good. Tess, I need you to stay with him as I am going to quickly fetch the car. Hopefully, none of the Windsors will come out and harass us anymore today. I will be right back in a few minutes. _Stay here._"

Gabe ran towards the site where his car was, leaving the other two detectives to stay put for a while.

* * *

"So, what exactly happened?"

The black-haired ADA questioned as he placed his forehead on the cool glass window in front of him. Peering through, Gabe looked at the unconscious senior detective lying in a simple bed with white linens in the middle of the hospital room. What could have possibly happened between Conrad and Windsor? Didn't he warn them thoroughly about how to conduct a proper interview with the billionaire?

"Well..." The tall brunette started off with uncertainty vibrating throughout her voice. She didn't know how to put what happened at the Windsor Manor in words that would please Gabe. After a few seconds of trying to find the right words, her unsure hazel eyes met with his defiant black ones.

"We were sticking to your rules questioning Mr. Windsor about the incident. However, your buddy over there decided to go beyond protocol and started to question Windsor about his past. Windsor didn't like Luke's relentless prodding very well and transformed when he got very irritated. Luke, being the stubborn and hard-headed person as he is, didn't back down and Windsor swiped his claws at Luke's side. Aaaand, that is how we ended up here."

Gabe exhaled deeply at the detective's story. This investigate was getting out of control now. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to deal with this anymore. At least, he didn't want to figure it out in the most humane way. He unceasingly wished that he still had his beast-like abilities. He could solve these problems easily if he had them. However, he didn't sadly. It got him down and out about the situation.

He sighed while thinking about the events with Catherine, Luke, and others in the last 24 hours. Maybe it would be wise to take a break from this mess temporarily. Acting on that resolution, the black-haired ADA slowly walked away from the window in a sober motion, looking at the injured male detective for the last time. Gabe then slowly turned his eyes to the tall, brown-haired woman who was looking down at her phone to see if she got any more updates from the office. Maybe he could escape from Luke's room and head towards Catherine's? It has been a while since he since last saw her.

"Hey Tess, I am going to take a short stroll. Just call me if something comes up." He gave her a small wave with his right hand to confirm his plan. The brunette looked up and waved back to give Gabe the a-ok.

The middle-aged ADA strolled the near empty hallways, half-heartedly paying attention to his surroundings. His mind was somewhere else as he thought back to the accident with Luke Conrad, the brave yet un-ruling detective. The ADA then shifted his thoughts to another detective, Catherine Chandler, and her mysterious ordeal. All these thoughts about Luke's and Catherine's accidents led back to one person; Vincent Keller.

Gabe couldn't shake away the vivid memories of what he saw in the basement lab at Windsor's manor. The ADA was positively sure that the man he saw by Tori's side was the same person who Catherine was searching for. However, there were a lot of questions surrounding around what saw. How did this "Vincent" ended up there? What was his connection with Tori Winsor? Did Tori have any ulterior motives that would somehow involve Vincent?

The middle-aged agent of the law stopped in front of a glass window. The other issue at hand was resting well behind the glass pane. How should he tell Catherine that he ran into her former lover? Could he even possibly truthfully tell her what he saw? The black-haired fellow feared at the thought of seeing her reaction when he would tell her what he really saw. Maybe it was best to not tell her. He didn't want to hurt her further with any more heartache. That would break Gabe's heart.

The suave ADA peered through the window and saw that Catherine was asleep soundly on the hospital bed. However, Gabe saw that she wasn't alone as there was an older man with salt-and-pepper hair standing beside her bedside. The ADA didn't have the slightest clue to who this peculiar fellow might be. The guy standing beside Catherine didn't look like somebody from the force, Gabe reckoned silently. Was this guy related to Catherine? Perhaps, maybe he was someone of a threat to her?

What should he do?

Gabe noticed that the perplexing stranger was heading towards the door. It was the perfect chance to corner him and get the truth out between this stranger and Catherine. As soon as the ADA saw that the man was trying to make his exit from the room, Gabe rushed towards the door. Their eyes met instantly when Gabe opened the door at the same time as the visitor placed his hand on the same metal knob.

"Pardon me," Gabe started as he gazed at the dark blue eyes in front of him, "I may be too blunt but, who are you?"

The other man began to speak in an annoyed tone. "It's none of your business. If you excuse me. I have to go." And on cue, the older man tilted his head to the right quickly to indicate that he wanted this irritating ADA to move out of his way.

"'It's none of my business?' What is up with that? Well excuse me but this is my damn business. The patient is a close colleague of mine. She was under my guidance when she was investigating a crime for me. She is my responsibility. As for you, I am going to ask again, who are you? Are you with the NYPD? The government?"

Gabe moved closer to the guy while maintaining his guard of the only door in the room. The younger man examined the other man's features firmly. Those blue eyes, firm mouth, a broad nose, and his pale skin. Gabe swore he saw the face before him once upon a time ago. But, where? When? How? Why? These questions raced throughout his mind as he tried to figure out this stranger's identity. Then something suddenly dawned on him...

'A-ha. I finally figure out who you are. You are... you are..." Gabe stumbled a little bit with his revelation. It was very tough to piece together a long forgotten puzzle from his childhood. "You are Robert Reynolds! I remember when you used to be in Muirfield. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Brilliant deduction, ADA Gabe Lowen. Though, I wouldn't doubt that you of all people would ever forget me. Especially when I was very instrumental in the development of you as Muirfield's project. Nevertheless. I am not here for the chitter chatter about the past. I am only here as I heard about Ms. Chandler's unfortunate encounter with what you call a beast-like creature recently. I need to report on her condition and the facts about the attack to the higher-ups in my organization, the FBI." At the last spoken word, Reynolds took out his credentials from his left breast pocket on his long, black overcoat and flashed it at Gabe.

"How did a corrupt organization like Muirfield get you a position inside the FBI?" Gabe questioned annoyingly as he accepted that the badge in Reynold's hand was indeed an authentic one.

Reynolds replied with a tone that was mixed with arrogance and sarcasm "It's a long tale that we both don't have all the time in the world for. But, all I am going to say is to just know your connections well enough." When he finished speaking, the older man put his badge back in the original location while looking back at the Catherine. "I am going to take my cue and depart swiftly so a certain Prince Charming can spend time with his Snow White. Thanks for the brief reunion. I better be heading off now."

Something wasn't just right with the ex-Muirfield agent. Something about him bugged Gabe _**A LOT**_. The black haired ADA took a glance at Catherine's peaceful face and then turn his eyes back at the man in front of him.

Once Gabe figured it out, he started his deduction off with ease. "Wait a minute. Before you go, I have one last qustion. You and Catherine kind of looked like each other. Are you related to her?"


End file.
